The spelling of the medical term "Nervus Femoralis" can be explained using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). "Nervus" is pronounced /ˈnɜːrvəs/, with the stress on the first syllable. Meanwhile, "Femoralis" is pronounced /fəˈmɔːrəlɪs/, with the stress on the second syllable. The spelling of both words follows typical Latin spelling rules, with "nervus" meaning "nerve" and "femoralis" meaning "relating to the femur." The term refers to the nerve in the leg that supplies sensation to the thigh and lower leg muscles.
Nervus Femoralis, commonly known as the femoral nerve, is a major nerve located in the lower extremities of the body. It arises from the lumbar plexus, specifically from the dorsal branches of the second, third, and fourth lumbar spinal nerves. The femoral nerve descends through the posterior abdominal wall and enters the thigh via the muscle gap between the iliacus muscle and psoas major muscle.
The nerve is responsible for innervating several muscles in the anterior compartment of the thigh, including the quadriceps femoris muscle group, which enables leg extension, the sartorius muscle, which facilitates hip and knee flexion, and the pectineus muscle, which helps with hip adduction. Additionally, the femoral nerve provides sensory innervation to the skin on the anteromedial aspect of the thigh, as well as the medial aspect of the lower leg and foot.
Damage or compression to the femoral nerve can lead to a condition known as femoral neuropathy, resulting in weakness or paralysis of the affected muscles, difficulty with leg extension and hip flexion, and sensory loss in the innervated areas. Common causes of femoral nerve injury include trauma, compression or impingement, pelvic surgery, and conditions such as diabetes or hernias.
Understanding the anatomy and function of the nervus femoralis is vital for diagnosing and treating various lower extremity disorders, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining proper motor and sensory capabilities in the thigh region.
Femoral nerve, anterior crural nerve, arises from the 2d, 3d and 4th lumbar nerves in the substance of the psoas muscle and passing down enters the thigh external to the femoral vessels, breaking up in Scarpa's triangle into a number of terminal branches; it supplies the muscles and skin of the thigh.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word "nervus femoralis" has Latin origins.
The term "nervus" translates to "nerve" in English, deriving from the Latin word "nervus" meaning "sinew" or "tendon".
"Femoralis" refers to the femur, which is the thigh bone in the human body. This term comes from the Latin word "femoralis" meaning "pertaining to the thigh".
Therefore, "nervus femoralis" can be translated to English as "femoral nerve", referring to the nerve that innervates the muscles of the thigh.