Which nerve innervates the abductor hallucis muscle?

Which nerve innervates the abductor hallucis muscle?

• A. Tibial nerve
• B. Common fibular nerve
• C. Lateral plantar nerve
• D. Medial plantar nerve

Answer: (D)

The main idea is understanding which nerve directly supplies the intrinsic muscles of the sole. The abductor hallucis is a first-layer muscle on the medial plantar side of the foot, and its motor innervation comes from the medial plantar nerve, a branch of the tibial nerve. The medial plantar nerve handles several medial intrinsic muscles, including abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, flexor hallucis brevis, and the first lumbrical. The lateral plantar nerve supplies other intrinsic muscles of the sole, not this one, and the common fibular nerve doesn’t innervate plantar intrinsic muscles. So the nerve that directly innervates the abductor hallucis is the medial plantar nerve.

The main idea is understanding which nerve directly supplies the intrinsic muscles of the sole. The abductor hallucis is a first-layer muscle on the medial plantar side of the foot, and its motor innervation comes from the medial plantar nerve, a branch of the tibial nerve. The medial plantar nerve handles several medial intrinsic muscles, including abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, flexor hallucis brevis, and the first lumbrical. The lateral plantar nerve supplies other intrinsic muscles of the sole, not this one, and the common fibular nerve doesn’t innervate plantar intrinsic muscles. So the nerve that directly innervates the abductor hallucis is the medial plantar nerve.