The Branches of the Superficial Peroneal Nerve and Their Clinical Significance

It is not often that a podiatrist is credited in a major, universally recognized anatomy textbook with a detailed description of an anatomical structure that is subsequently named after him. This occurred with the description of the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve in Grant’s Method of Anatomy, [1] a structure that came to be known as “Lemont’s nerve.”

The article by Harvey Lemont reprinted here was the first to popularize the topography of both the medial and the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerves. Lemont’s prior work focused on the topography of the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve. [2] The description of the nerve as a bowstring-like structure that can be seen by plantarflexing and inverting the foot was subsequently credited to Lemont in Grant’s Method of Anatomy. On the basis of this topography, Lemont, Ken Izzo, and colleagues [3] were able to establish nerve conduction velocity values for these branches. Nerve conduction velocities of these branches had never been directly measured before these studies because their anatomy was not clearly understood.

Clinically, this work is important because both nerves may be irritated by footwear and trauma to the dorsum of the foot, as reported by Lemont in the Merck Manual of Geriatrics. [4] Tailor sitting or sleeping positions can also irritate the nerve. [5] By clearly outlining the nerve course and showing how easily it could be identified topographically, therapeutic and diagnostic nerve blocks were simplified and based on the anatomy of the superficial peroneal nerve prior to its branching. [6] Today the topographic anatomy of these nerves is well recognized and taught as part of the basic anatomy and physical diagnosis curriculum in most colleges of podiatric medicine.