biology

Nerve to obturator internus

Nerve to obturator internus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nerve to obturator internus rather than just read about it. In short: The nerve to obturator internus (also known as the obturator internus nerve) is a mixed (sensory and motor) nerve providing motor innervation to the obturator internus muscle and gemellus superior muscle, and sensory innervation to the hip joint. It is a branch of the sacral plexus.

Key takeaways

Nerve to obturator internus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nerve to obturator internus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nerve to obturator internus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The nerve to obturator internus (also known as the obturator internus nerve) is a mixed (sensory and motor) nerve providing motor innervation to the obturator internus muscle and gemellus superior muscle, and sensory innervation to the hip joint. It is a branch of the sacral plexus. It is one of the group of deep gluteal nerves. It exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen to innervate the gemellus superior muscle, then re-enters the pelvis to innervate the obturator internus muscle.

Structure

Origin The nerve to obturator internus is a branch of the lumbosacral plexus. It arises from the anterior divisions of (the anterior rami of) L5-S2.

Course and relations It emerges inferior to the piriformis muscle and exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen. It travels round the base of the ischial spine lateral to the internal pudendal artery and nerve, and - while doing so - issues a branch to the gemellus superior, which enters the upper part of the posterior surface of the muscle. It then re-enters the pelvis through the lesser sciatic foramen to innervate the obturator internus muscle, piercing the pelvic surface of this muscle.

See also Obturator nerve Nerve to quadratus femoris

References This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 957 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nerve to obturator internus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nerve to obturator internus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nerve to obturator internus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nerve to obturator internus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nerve to obturator internus

In research: Nerve to obturator internus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nerve to obturator internus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nerve to obturator internus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso, Neuroanatomy stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nerve to obturator internus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Nerve to obturator internus” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Nerve to obturator internus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nerve to obturator internus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nerve to obturator internus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nerve to obturator internus in simple terms?

Why does Nerve to obturator internus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nerve to obturator internus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nerve to obturator internus.