The tibial nerve is one of the terminal branches of the sciatic nerve. It is a mixed nerve containing both motor and sensory fibers, which innervates the skin of the posterolateral side of the leg and lateral side of the foot.

The tibial nerve emerges above the popliteal fossa, passes along the middle of the popliteal fossa, then runs between the superficial and deep flexor muscles, reaching the medial malleolus. Further, it turns around the medial malleolus and runs below the flexor retinaculum into the third osteofibrous channel and splits into two terminal branches - the medial plantar nerve and the lateral plantar nerve.

On its course, the tibial nerve also gives rise to several side branches, including the:

Medial sural cutaneous nerve
Articular branches
Muscular branches
Medial calcaneal branches

The medial sural cutaneous nerve arises at the upper region of the popliteal fossa, descends between the two heads of the gastrocnemius muscle and runs below the crural fascia. Further, this nerve at the middle of the lower leg pierces the crural fascia and unites with the lateral sural cutaneous nerve (a branch of the common peroneal nerve) to form the sural nerve.

The articular branches of the tibial nerve innervate the knee joint and the ankle joint. The muscular branches innervate the superficial and deep posterior muscles of the lower leg. And the medial calcaneal branches of the tibial nerve innervate the skin in the medial part of the calcaneal region.

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Tibial nerve and its branches