A 45-year-old intoxicated male was struck by a tour bus while walking in the middle of the street. The man was admitted to the emergency department and during physical examination was diagnosed with "scissor gait," in which an individual crosses one limb in front of the other, due to powerful hip adduction. Which of the following nerves was most likely involved in this condition?
High-Yield Explanation
The obturator nerve innervates the adductor muscles, including the gracilis, pectineus, and obturator externus. The tibial nerve supplies the calf muscles and intrinsic muscles in the plantar portion of the foot. The inferior gluteal nerve innervates the gluteus maximus; the superior gluteal nerve supplies the gluteus medius and minimus and tensor fasciae latae. The femoral nerve provides motor supply to the quadriceps femoris, sartorius, and, in some cases, the pectineus.