Inferior gluteus nerve

The nervus glut (a) eus inferior ( lat. , "Lower gluteal nerve") is a nerve of the lumbar-cross plexus ( plexus lumbosacralis ). In animals, it is called the caudal gluteus nerve ("posterior croup nerve").

The cells of origin ( root cells ) of the nerve are in the lumbar and cross parts of the spinal cord , in humans from the fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) to the 2nd cross vertebra (S2), in most mammals mostly only in the first two cross segments (S1, S2).

course

In humans, the nerve runs together with the artery and vein of the same name , the sciatic nerve , the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve , the pudendal nerve and the internal pudendal artery and vein through the so-called infrapiriform foramen .

In most mammals, the nerve descends from the lumbosacral trunk , a common trunk of origin for the caudal gluteus, cranial gluteus and sciatic nerve . This leaves the pelvic cavity through the greater sciatic foramen .

Innervation area

The inferior gluteus nerve almost exclusively contains motor nerve fibers and in humans only innervates the gluteus maximus muscle . In veterinary anatomy, this muscle is called the gluteus superficialis muscle . In addition, in quadruped animals, the nerve is involved in the innervation of other skeletal muscles in the hip region , namely those of the biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles .

Improper intramuscular injection into the buttocks can injure the lower gluteal nerve.

literature

• Martin Trepel: Neuroanatomy. Structure and function. 3rd revised edition. Urban & Fischer, Munich et al. 2004, ISBN 3-437-41297-3 .
• Franz-Viktor Salomon: nervous system, systema nervosum. In: Franz-Viktor Salomon, Hans Geyer, Uwe Gille (Ed.): Anatomy for veterinary medicine. Enke, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8304-1007-7 , pp. 464-577.