Sural communicating branch of common peroneal nerve

Sural communicating branch of common peroneal nerve

Diagram of the sural nerve and its branches, including the sural communicating branch.
Latin	ramus communicans fibularis nervi suralis

The sural communicating branch of the common peroneal nerve is a sensory nerve in the lower limb. It is a branch of the common peroneal nerve, which itself is a division of the sciatic nerve. This nerve plays a crucial role in the sensory innervation of the skin of the lower leg and foot.

Anatomy

The sural communicating branch arises from the common peroneal nerve near the knee. It travels down the leg, running superficially along the lateral aspect of the calf. This nerve typically joins with the medial sural cutaneous nerve, a branch of the tibial nerve, to form the sural nerve.

The sural nerve, formed by the union of these two branches, descends along the posterior aspect of the leg and provides sensory innervation to the skin of the lateral foot and the lateral aspect of the fifth toe.

Function

The primary function of the sural communicating branch is to contribute to the sensory innervation of the skin over the lateral aspect of the lower leg and foot. It is responsible for transmitting sensory information, such as touch, temperature, and pain, from these areas to the central nervous system.

Clinical Significance

The sural communicating branch, along with the sural nerve, is often used in nerve grafting procedures due to its superficial location and relatively expendable nature. Damage to this nerve can result in sensory deficits in its area of innervation, leading to numbness or tingling sensations in the lateral foot and lower leg.

Also see

• Common peroneal nerve
• Sural nerve
• Tibial nerve
• Sciatic nerve

References

• Gray's Anatomy (Public Domain Text)
• Clinical Neuroanatomy by Richard S. Snell