Your femoral nerve is the largest of the five nerve branches of your lumbar plexus. This network of nerves is in your lower spine. You have a femoral nerve on each side of your body that helps you bend and straighten your hips and knees. It also sends touch, pain and temperature sensations from your legs to your brain.

Overview

Your femoral nerve controls movement and feeling in your hips, legs and feet.

What is your femoral nerve?

Your femoral nerve is one of the largest nerves in your leg. It has a motor function to help you move your hips, legs, ankles and feet. It also has a sensory function, helping you feel touch, pain and hot or cold temperatures.

Your femoral nerve is part of your peripheral nervous system. This system sends signals from your brain to your lower limbs, upper limbs and some organs.

If you experience pain, numbness or weakness in your legs or feet, reach out to a healthcare provider. They can determine if you have a specific issue in the nerves of your leg and develop a treatment plan for you.

Function

What is the purpose of your femoral nerve?

Your femoral nerve is one of two major leg nerves that provide motor (movement) and sensory functions to your lower limbs. Your femoral nerve works for the front of your leg, while your sciatic nerve serves the back of your leg.

Your femoral nerve:

  • Conveys touch, pain and temperature sensations from your hip, thigh, knee and leg
  • Stimulates thigh and hip flexor muscles (your psoas major and iliacus muscles) to help you bend and straighten your legs and knees, as well as bend at your hip

Anatomy

Where is your femoral nerve?

Your femoral nerve:

  • Originates from the L2 to L4 femoral nerve roots in your lumbar plexus
  • Enters your femoral triangle, a hollow, wedge-shaped area between your upper thigh and groin
  • Runs down the front of your thigh between your psoas major and hip flexor muscles
  • Travels alongside your femoral artery, the large blood vessel that carries blood to your lower limbs
  • Splits into two nerves, the anterior division and posterior division, beneath your inguinal ligament
  • The posterior division becomes your saphenous nerve at your adductor canal, a narrow tunnel-like opening in your thigh, which provides sensations to your knee, lower leg, ankle and foot

What are your femoral nerve branches?

Near your pubic bone, your femoral nerve branches into your anterior (superficial) femoral nerve and your posterior (deep) femoral nerve. Each of these branches provides certain motor or sensory functions:

  • Motor functions.Your anterior femoral branch helps you flex and move at your hips. Your posterior femoral branch controls your quadricep muscles to help straighten your knees.
  • Sensory functions.Your anterior femoral leg nerve provides sensory functions to the front and middle part of your thigh. Your posterior femoral leg nerve becomes your saphenous nerve, which provides sensory information to your lower leg and foot.

Conditions and Disorders

What conditions and disorders affect your femoral nerve?

Conditions that can damage or affect your femoral nerve include:

  • Femoral nerve neuropathy (femoral nerve dysfunction).“Neuropathy” is another word for nerve damage. Damage that affects only one femoral nerve is known as mononeuropathy.
  • Meralgia paresthetica.Pressure on your lateral femoral cutaneous nerve in your thigh can cause meralgia paresthetica, a type of painful nerve compression syndrome.
  • Pinched nerve.Swollen tissues squeeze your leg nerve, causing a pinched nerve or nerve entrapment.

What are the signs of femoral nerve problems?

Pain that radiates from your back and hips into your legs (radicular pain) is a common sign of femoral nerve damage. Other symptoms include:

When should I talk to my healthcare provider?

You should call a provider if you experience:

  • An inability to bend or straighten your knees or flex your ankles
  • Difficulty walking
  • Pain, numbness or weakness in your legs or feet

A note from Wockr

Your femoral nerves are a vital part of your peripheral nervous system. They help provide movement and sensation to your hips and legs. Damage to your femoral nerves can cause pain, numbness and weakness that can impact your ability to work, participate in hobbies and perform everyday tasks. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact a healthcare provider. They can find the source of your pain and offer symptom relief and other solutions.