Tibial Nerve Injury – Nerve Lesions of the Lower Limb

00:00 ground. If we then look at the tibial nerve, then we can remind ourselves the tibial nerve is passing down through the popliteal fossa alongside the popliteal artery. It then runs alongside the posterior tibial artery to supply the posterior compartment of the leg. Remember, it’s deep in the posterior compartment of the leg running deep to soleus. Damage to this nerve is uncommon due to its deep position within the leg, but it may be damaged with a deep laceration. You’ll then have predictable paralysis of the muscles it supplies. So it supplies the leg flexors, it supplies plantarflexors of the ankle, and it supplies the intrinsic muscles of the foot. So you’ll be unable to plantarflex. These muscles won’t be able to assist in flexion of the knee. And intrinsic muscles in the sole of the foot will also be compromised via the loss of lateral and medial plantar nerves and the obvious effects of inability to flex the toes with problems with walking, forming a grip. So here we have damage to the plantarflexors. We’re going to have a lack of the normal foot push-off because this is going to be weaker. Push-off is performed by extension of the knee and hip instead. Where these muscles will still be preserved, the normal foot push-off is via those plantarflexors and flexor hallucis longus, that important tendon. Push-off now is going to be performed by extension of the knee and the hip instead. So in this lecture, we’ve had a brief overview of the nerve supply to the lower limb. We then looked at the sciatic nerve, the superior gluteal nerve, the common fibular nerve, and the tibial nerve, and what paralysis you’ll have when each of these nerves are damaged.