| Superior gluteal nerve | |
|---|---|
 Nerves of the right lower extremity. Posterior view. | |
 Plan of sacral and pudendal plexuses. (Superior gluteal labeled at upper left.) | |
| Details | |
| From | Sacral plexus (L4-S1) |
| Innervates | Gluteus medius,gluteus minimus,tensor fasciæ latæ |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nervus gluteus superior |
| TA98 | A14.2.07.031 |
| TA2 | 6543 |
| FMA | 16510 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
Thesuperior gluteal nerve is amixed (motor and sensory)nerve of thesacral plexus that originates in thepelvis. It provides motor innervation to thegluteus medius,gluteus minimus,tensor fasciae latae; it also has a cutaneous branch.
The superior gluteal nerve originates in thesacral plexus. It arises from the posterior divisions ofL4,L5 andS1.[1]
It exits the pelvis through thegreater sciatic foramen superior to thepiriformis muscle.[2][3][4] It is accompanied by thesuperior gluteal artery and thesuperior gluteal vein.[2]
It passes lateral-ward in between thegluteus medius muscle and thegluteus minimus muscle,[1][5] accompanied by the deep branch of thesuperior gluteal artery. It divides into a superior branch and an inferior branch.[5][1]
The inferior branch continues to pass between the two muscles[5] to end in thetensor fasciae latae muscle.[1]
The superior gluteal nerve also has a cutaneous branch.[1]
In normalgait, the small gluteal muscles on the stance side can stabilize the pelvis in thecoronal plane. Weakness or paralysis of these muscles caused by a damaged superior gluteal nerve can result in a weak abduction in the affected hip joint. Thisgait disturbance is known asTrendelenburg gait. In a positiveTrendelenburg's sign the pelvis sags toward the normal unsupported side (the swing leg). The opposite, when the pelvis is elevated on the swing side, is known asDuchenne limp. Bilateral loss of the small gluteal muscles results in awaddling gait.[2]
The superior gluteal nerve may be damaged byintramuscular injections andnephrectomy.[3]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 959 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
