From the Research
The tibial nerve has several branches that innervate various structures in the lower limb, including the medial sural cutaneous nerve, medial calcaneal branches, and medial and lateral plantar nerves. The main branches of the tibial nerve include:
- Medial sural cutaneous nerve, which joins with the sural communicating branch to form the sural nerve
- Medial calcaneal branches, which supply the skin of the heel
- Medial and lateral plantar nerves, which innervate the sole of the foot The tibial nerve also gives off articular branches to the knee joint, muscular branches to the posterior compartment muscles of the leg (including the gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris, popliteus, tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, and flexor hallucis longus), and terminal branches in the foot. These branches are crucial for motor function of the posterior leg muscles that enable plantar flexion and inversion of the foot, as well as for sensory innervation of the posterior leg and plantar surface of the foot. Understanding the distribution of these branches is important for diagnosing and treating conditions like tarsal tunnel syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, and traumatic injuries affecting the lower limb, as noted in a study on the anatomy of the tibial nerve and its branches 1.