Anatomy
Lower Limb
You are giving a teaching session to a group of final year medical students regarding lower limb neurology. Which of the following clinical features would be expected in an obturator nerve palsy:
Answer:
Damage to the obturator nerve results in weak adduction of the hip with lateral swinging of the limb during walking due to unopposed abduction.Obturator Nerve
Anatomy / Lower Limb / Innervation of Lower Limb / Medial Thigh
Last Updated: 10th April 2019
The obturator nerve arises from the lumbar plexus, formed from the anterior rami of L2 - L4.
Table: Anatomical Overview of the Obturator Nerve
| Nerve | Obturator |
|---|---|
| Nerve roots | L2 – L4 |
| Motor supply | Medial thigh muscles (adductor longus, brevis and magnus, gracilis, obturator externus) |
| Sensory supply | Upper medial thigh |
| Injury | Motor Loss: Loss of hip adduction and difficulty walking with lateral swinging of limb (due to unopposed abduction)
Sensory Loss: Loss of sensation over upper medial thigh |
Anatomical Course
The obturator nerve descends along the posterior abdominal wall, passes through the pelvic cavity and enters the medial thigh by passing through the obturator canal.
Function
The obturator nerve innervates all of the muscles of the medial compartment of the thigh (except for the hamstring part of the adductor magnus innervated by the tibial portion of the sciatic nerve).
It also gives off a cutaneous branch that supplies skin on the medial side of the upper thigh.
Table: Motor Supply of the Obturator Nerve
| Muscle | Function |
|---|---|
| Adductor longus | Adduction and medial rotation at hip |
| Adductor brevis | Adduction at hip |
| Adductor magnus | Adduction and medial rotation at hip |
| Obturator externus | Lateral rotation at hip |
| Gracilis | Adduction at hip and flexion at knee |
![Modified by FRCEM Success. Original by Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://mrcemsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Cutaneous-Innervation-Leg.png)
Cutaneous Innervation of Lower Limb. (Image modified by FRCEM Success. Original by Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
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- Biochemistry
- Blood Gases
- Haematology
| Biochemistry | Normal Value |
|---|---|
| Sodium | 135 – 145 mmol/l |
| Potassium | 3.0 – 4.5 mmol/l |
| Urea | 2.5 – 7.5 mmol/l |
| Glucose | 3.5 – 5.0 mmol/l |
| Creatinine | 35 – 135 μmol/l |
| Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) | 5 – 35 U/l |
| Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) | < 65 U/l |
| Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) | 30 – 135 U/l |
| Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) | < 40 U/l |
| Total Protein | 60 – 80 g/l |
| Albumin | 35 – 50 g/l |
| Globulin | 2.4 – 3.5 g/dl |
| Amylase | < 70 U/l |
| Total Bilirubin | 3 – 17 μmol/l |
| Calcium | 2.1 – 2.5 mmol/l |
| Chloride | 95 – 105 mmol/l |
| Phosphate | 0.8 – 1.4 mmol/l |
| Haematology | Normal Value |
|---|---|
| Haemoglobin | 11.5 – 16.6 g/dl |
| White Blood Cells | 4.0 – 11.0 x 109/l |
| Platelets | 150 – 450 x 109/l |
| MCV | 80 – 96 fl |
| MCHC | 32 – 36 g/dl |
| Neutrophils | 2.0 – 7.5 x 109/l |
| Lymphocytes | 1.5 – 4.0 x 109/l |
| Monocytes | 0.3 – 1.0 x 109/l |
| Eosinophils | 0.1 – 0.5 x 109/l |
| Basophils | < 0.2 x 109/l |
| Reticulocytes | < 2% |
| Haematocrit | 0.35 – 0.49 |
| Red Cell Distribution Width | 11 – 15% |
| Blood Gases | Normal Value |
|---|---|
| pH | 7.35 – 7.45 |
| pO2 | 11 – 14 kPa |
| pCO2 | 4.5 – 6.0 kPa |
| Base Excess | -2 – +2 mmol/l |
| Bicarbonate | 24 – 30 mmol/l |
| Lactate | < 2 mmol/l |
