Tibial Nerve

Question 1

What are the roots of the tibial nerve?

Answer 1

L4-S3

Question 2

What are the sensory functions of the tibial nerve?

Answer 2

Innervates the skin on the posterolateral side of the leg, lateral side of the foot, and the sole of the foot

Question 3

What are the motor functions of the tibial nerve?

Answer 3

Innervates posterior compartment of the leg

Question 4

What is the tibial nerve a branch of?

Answer 4

The sciatic nerve

Question 5

Where does the tibial nerve arise?

Answer 5

At the apex of the popliteal fossa

Question 6

What is the anatomical course of the tibial nerve?

Answer 6

It travels through the popliteal fossa
It continues its course down the leg, posterior to the tibia.
At the foot, it passes posteriorly and inferiorly to the medial malleolus, through a structure known as the tarsal tunnel

Question 7

What does the tibial nerve do as it travels through the popliteal fossa?

Answer 7

Gives off branches to muscles in the superficial posterior compartment of the leg
Gives rise to branches that contribute towards the sural nerve

Question 8

What does the sural nerve do?

Answer 8

Innervates the posterolateral aspect of the leg

Question 9

What does the tibial nerve do during its course down the leg?

Answer 9

Supplies the deep muscles of the posterior leg

Question 10

What is the tarsal tunnel covered with?

Answer 10

Superiorly, by the flexor retinaculum

Question 11

What happens within the tarsal tunnel?

Answer 11

The tibial nerves gives branches to supply cutaneous innervation to the heal

Question 12

Where does the tibial nerve terminate?

Answer 12

Immediately distal to the tarsal tunnel

Question 13

How does the tibial nerve terminate?

Answer 13

By dividing into sensory branches, which innervate the sole of the foot

Question 14

What is tarsal tunnel syndrome?

Answer 14

A condition where the tibial nerve is compressed within the tarsal tunnel

Question 15

What are the main causes of tarsal tunnel syndrome?

Answer 15

Osteoarthritis
Rhuematoid arthritis
Post-trauma ankle deformities

Question 16

What do patients with tarsal tunnel syndrome complain of?

Answer 16

Paresthesia in the ankle and sole of the foot, which can radiate up the leg slightly. It is aggravated by activity and relieved by rest

Question 17

How can tarsal tunnel syndrome be treated?

Answer 17

Conservatively, by anti-inflammatory drugs and changes in footwear.
If thats not successful, the flexor retinaculum can be cut surgically, which releases the pressure

Question 18

What muscles does the tibial nerve innervate?

Answer 18

All the muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg

Question 19

What can the muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg be divided into?

Answer 19

A deep and superficial compartment

Question 20

What muscles are in the deep compartment of the posterior leg?

Answer 20

Popliteus
Flexor hallucis longus
Flexor digitorum longus
Tibialis posterior

Question 21

What does the popliteus do?

Answer 21

Laterally rotates the femur on the tibia to unlock the knee

Question 22

What does the flexor hallucis longus do?

Answer 22

Flexes the big toe, and plantar flexes the ankle

Question 23

What does the flexor digitorum longus do?

Answer 23

Flexes the other digits and plantar flexes the ankle

Question 24

What muscles are in the superficial compartment of the posterior leg?

Answer 24

Plantaris
Soleus
Gastrocnemius

Question 25

What does the plantaris do?

Answer 25

Plantar flexes the ankle

Question 26

What does the soleus do?

Answer 26

Plantar flexes the ankle

Question 27

What does the gastrocnemius do?

Answer 27

Plantar flexes the ankle and flexes the knee

Question 28

What does the tibial nerve give off in the popliteal fossa?

Answer 28

Cutaneous branches

Question 29

What happens to the cutaneous branches of the tibial nerve?

Answer 29

They combine with branches from the common fibular nerve to form the sural nerve

Question 30

What does the sural nerve do?

Answer 30

Innervates the skin of the posterolateral side of the leg and the lateral side of the foot

Question 31

How does the tibial nerve supply the sole of the foot?

Answer 31

Via thee branches, the medial calcaneal branches, the medial plantar nerve, and the lateral plantar nerve

Question 32

Where do the medial calcaneal branches arise?

Answer 32

Within the tarsal tunnel

Question 33

What do the medial calnaneal branches do?

Answer 33

Innervate the skin over the heel

Question 34

What does the medial plantar nerve do?

Answer 34

Innervates the plantar surface of the medial three and a half digits, and the associated sole area

Question 35

What does the lateral plantar nerve do?

Answer 35

Innervates the plantar surface of the lateral one and a half digits, and the associated sole area

Question 36

How common is damage to the tibial nerve?

Answer 36

Rare

Question 37

What is damage to the tibial nerve often a result of?

Answer 37

Direct trauma, entrapment through a narrow space, or compression for a long period of time

Question 38

What does damage to the tibial nerve result in?

Answer 38

Loss of plantar flexion, loss of flexion of toes and weakened inversion

Question 39

Why is inversion only weakened when theres tibial nerve damage?

Answer 39

The tibialis anterior can still invert the foot