Adductor (Hunter's) canal: saphenous nerve
The saphenous nerve, a sensory branch of the femoral nerve, runs through the adductor canal, or Hunter's canal, deep to sartorius and between vastus medialis and the adductors. Entrapment has been described where it leaves the canal. This page shows it in 3D and on ultrasound.
Anatomy of the passage
The saphenous nerve runs through the adductor canal deep to sartorius, close to vastus medialis and the adductors. Entrapments have been described in this region that may cause medial knee or leg pain while motor function is preserved, because the saphenous nerve is sensory.
- Nerve
- Saphenous nerve: adductor canal and infrapatellar branch
- Frequency
- Proposed with limited evidence: case series, clinical commentaries or anatomical descriptions.
- Type of evidence
- Clinical series and review
References
- Romanoff ME, Cory PC, Kalenak A, Keyser GC, Marshall WK. Saphenous nerve entrapment at the adductor canal. Am J Sports Med 1989. PubMed 2782531 · DOI
- Morganti CM, McFarland EG, Cosgarea AJ. Saphenous neuritis: a poorly understood cause of medial knee pain. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2002. PubMed 11929207 · DOI
Ultrasound landmarks
In the distal third of the medial thigh, the saphenous nerve accompanies the femoral artery and vein in the adductor canal, beneath sartorius, between vastus medialis and adductor magnus. The vastoadductor membrane is not segmented.
Other sites of the same nerve
All entrapment sites
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