Deep Peroneal Nerve, Dorsal View

Description

Running in the anterior compartment of the leg and then crossing the ankle onto the dorsum of the foot, the deep fibular (peroneal) nerve is traced as it lies lateral to the tibialis anterior tendon and medial to the extensor digitorum longus tendons as they descend toward the metatarsals and phalanges. At the level of the ankle joint it passes deep to the extensor retinaculum, where the dorsalis pedis artery and accompanying veins run in close association on the dorsal surface of the talus and navicular. Distally, the nerve course toward the first dorsal web space is suggested by its trajectory between the extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum longus tendons. Bony landmarks including the distal tibia and fibula, tarsal bones, metatarsals, and digital phalanges anchor the relationships. This dorsal, ankle-level presentation matters because the deep peroneal nerve is the sensory nerve to the first interdigital cleft and the motor supply to extensor digitorum brevis, so compression under the extensor retinaculum produces a focused clinical picture rather than diffuse dorsal foot numbness. Anterior tarsal tunnel syndrome classically presents with pain over the dorsum of the foot and paresthesia in the first web space, often worsened by tight footwear or dorsiflexion, and it sits anatomically adjacent to the dorsalis pedis pulse point used in vascular assessment. Small space. High yield. Educators can drop this figure into lower-limb anatomy labs to teach the anterior compartment, dorsum of foot tendons, and the neurovascular bundle at the ankle, or into podiatry and sports-medicine materials covering lace bite, retinacular compression, and dorsal foot entrapment neuropathies. Surgical and anesthesia teams will also find it useful for orienting dorsal incisions around the first tarsometatarsal region and for avoiding iatrogenic injury during arthroscopy portals or ganglion excision. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.