Motor branches of the femoral nerve supplying the vastus lateralis, arising from the lateral division of the femoral nerve in the femoral triangle. Vastus lateralis receives multiple motor branches along its length, with the most proximal entering the muscle near the greater trochanteric level.
The nerve to vastus lateralis is preserved in selective femoral nerve branches during lateral approach total hip arthroplasty and during hip fracture fixation. Its denervation produces lateral quadriceps wasting visible as loss of the lateral thigh muscle bulk. In high femoral nerve injuries, the motor branch to vastus lateralis may be the first to recover due to its proximal entry into the muscle.
Selective or combined femoral nerve branch injury producing lateral quadriceps atrophy and weakened knee extension, visible as loss of lateral thigh bulk and confirmed by EMG needle assessment of the VL belly.
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