Lower Extremity Joints: Hip and Knee

Question 1

Hilton’s law

Answer 1

the nerves to a joint will be the same nerves that supply innervation to the muscles that move the joint and overlying skin

Question 2

What kind of nerves innervate hip/knee?

Answer 2

both postganglionic and sensory axons.

sensory axons end peripherally and are encapsulated or free sensory receptors

Question 3

how many spinal nerves are required to innervate a knee?

Answer 3

more than one

Question 4

Synovium and innervation

Answer 4

contains large number of thinly myelinated AND unmyelinated nerve fibers

Question 5

what kind of fibers run in the synovium?

Answer 5

postganglionic sympathetic angrenergic fibers located around blood vessels = responsible for control of articular blood flow

unmyelinated C fibers responsible for pain transmission

Question 6

C fibers

Answer 6

typically fire only when there is trauma and are therefore termed nociceptive

Question 7

PGE can

Answer 7

induce signals to the nociceptor fibers causing pain in the normal range of movement

Question 8

Three major joints =

Answer 8

hip, ankle, knee