LUMBAR PLEXUS.

Anterior part of T12 – L4 spinal nerves.

Branches of the plexus go out from under the lateral margin of psoas major.

----------Branches------------------
Illiohypogastric nerve : Penetrates the lateral part of psoas major and goes behind the kidney (on
the anterior surface of quadratum lumborum). Innervates : lateral skin surface fo thigh under the
greater trochanter, the skin near the external ring of the inguinal canal, the skin of the lower part of
abdomen above pubic symphisis.

Illioinguinal nerve : Goes out under the lateral margin of psoas major and goes lower the
illiohypogastric nerve on the anterior surface of quadratus lumborum almost parallely with the iliac
crest. Goes inside the inguinal canal. Innervates : transverse and oblique muscles of abdomen, skin
of the pubis scrotum in males, labium majus of vulva in females.

Genitofemoral nerve :
*Genital branch: Goes down on the anterior surface of the psoas major, forward and laterally
from the external iliac artery, penetrates the posterior wall of the inguinal canal, medially in its
internal ring. Innervates : m. cremaster, skin of scrotum, tunica darto, skin of superior and medial
part of femur. In females, goes with the round ligament an stops near the superficial rinf in the skin
of the big vulvar lip.
*Femoral branch : Goes down the anterior surface of the psoas major and then laterally to the
external iliac artery under the inguinal canal. Innervates : skin of femur lower than this ligament.

Lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh : Goes out from under the lateral margin of the psoas major.
Then goes on the anterior surface of the iliac muscle and reaches anterior iliac spine. It innervates
the skin of the lateral side of femur even till the knee joint.

Obturator nerve : Goes out from under the medial margin of the psoas major. Lower of the lines of
demarcation, it lies on the lateral surface of pelvis. The nerve goes out with the artery of the same
name to the medial surface of femur through obturator canal. Innervates : m. adductor longus, m.
adductor brevis, m. gracilis, skin of medial femoral surface, m. pectineus, capsule of thigh joint,
posterior surface of the knee joint capsule.

Femoral nerve : Biggest and thickest nerve. Goes down, forward and a bit laterallu between psoas
major and iliac muscles. Goes out to the femur from the pelvic cavity through the muscular lacuna in
the substance of the illiopsoas muscle. Innervates : m. iliacus, m. quadriceps femoris, m. sartorius, m.
pectinealis, capsule of thigh joint, skin of anterior surface of the femur till the patella level.

Saphenous nerve : Longest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve. Starts laterally from the
femoral artery and then joins its anterior surface. Enters into the adductor canal and then exits from
it via a foramen in its anterior wall. On the level of the knee joint or lightly under it, emerges two
branches :
*Infrapatellar branch
*Medial cutaneous branch