Nerve List
Upper Extremity
Spinal Accessory nerve
Dorsal Scapular nerve
Thoracodorsal nerve
Suprascapular nerve
Nerve to subclavius
Upper and Lower subscapular nerves
Medial and Lateral Pectoral nerves
Medial Brachial cutaneous nerve
Medial Antibrachial
cutaneous nerve
Musculocutaneous nerve
Median nerve
Ulnar nerve
Axillary nerve
Radial Nerve
Long thoracic nerve
With the exception of the Spinal Accessory nerve all
of these nerves arise from the brachial plexus, which can be divided into
roots, trunk, divisions, and cords.
Thorax
The thoracic walls are innervated by ventral rami of spinal nerves. These are referred to as intercostal
nerves. An exception is the diaphragm, the floor of the thorax, which is
innervated by the phrenic nerve from the cervical
plexus. All muscles of the deep back, including those in the thoracic region,
are innervated by dorsal rami of spinal nerves.
The organs of the thoracic
region are innervated by nerves of the autonomic nervous system. Some of these
nerves arise from cranial nerves while others arise from various regions of the
spinal cord.
Abdomen/Pelvis
The walls of the abdominal cavity are innervated by
ventral rami of the last 6 thoracic nerves and the ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric
nerves, with the expection of the diaphragm, the roof
of the abdominal cavity, which is innervated by the phrenic
nerve from the cervical plexus.
The lumbar plexus is found associated with the
abdominal cavity. This plexus is found buried within the fibers of the psoas major muscle. The lumbar plexus gives rise to the
following nerves:
Ilioinguinal
nerve
Iliohypogastric nerve
Lateral
Femoral Cutaneous nerve
Genitofemoral nerve
Femoral
nerve
Obturator
nerve
Nerves of the gluteal region and lower extremity arise from
the sacral plexus which is found within the pelvic cavity. The nerves of the
sacral plexus are:
Superior Gluteal nerve
Inferior Gluteal nerve
Nerve to Piriformis
Perforating Cutaneous nerve
Nerve to Inferior Gemellus
and Quadratus Femoris
Nerve to
Posterior Femoral Cutaneous
nerve
Pudendal nerve
Common Peroneal nerve
Tibial nerve
Note:
the common peroneal nerve and the tibial
nerve together make up the sciatic nerve.
Head and Neck
Muscles and structures of the
head and neck are innervated by either cranial nerves off of the brainstem or
by nerves that arise from the cervical plexus.
There are 12 cranial nerves that can be denoted by
their name or by their number, always designated in Roman numerals and preceded
with the upper case letters CN. These nerves all arise from the brainstem with
the exception of CN I (the Olfactory nerve) which is
actually a tract of the central nervous system and not a nerve at all. The 12
cranial nerves are:
CN I Olfactory
nerve
CN II Optic
nerve
CN III Oculomotor nerve
CN IV Trochlear nerve
CN V Trigeminal
nerve
CN VI Abducens nerve
CN VII Facial
nerve
CN VIII Vestibulocochlear nerve
CN IX Glossopharyngeal nerve
CN X Vagus nerve
CN XI Spinal
Accessory nerve
CN XII Hypoglossal
nerve
Nerves of the cervical plexus
are easily divided into sensory or motor nerves. These nerves are:
Sensory Motor
Lesser Occipital nerve Nerve
to Geniohyoid
Great Auricular nerve Nerve
to Thyrohyoid
Transverse Cervical nerve Nerve to
Superior Belly of Omohyoid
Supraclavicular
nerves Nerve
to Inferior Belly of Omohyoid
Nerve
to sternothyroid
Nerve
to sternohyoid
Note that the nerves to the superior and inferior
bellies of the omohyoid muscle, sternohyoid
muscle, and sternothyroid muscle all arise from a
structure of the cervical plexus known as the ansa cervicalis which is further subdivided into the descendens hypoglossi and the descendens cervicalis
Other nerves arising from
ventral rami of spinal nerves in the cervical region
include the nerve to the Sternocleidomastoid muscle
and nerves to the Trapezius and Levator
scapulae muscles.