The nerve to vastus medialis as a target for treating chronic medial knee joint pain: an ultrasound-based anatomical localization study in healthy subjects.
Background Chronic knee joint pain, resulting from osteoarthritis, post-surgical sequelae, or traumatic injuries, represents a debilitating clinical condition. Interventional approaches to manage chronic knee joint pain have been employed for decades, yielding variable outcomes in terms of pain reli...
| Published in: | Pain Medicine Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 170 - 177 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | diagnostic images pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press / USA
Feb2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=191385374&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 191385374 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 15262375 FRX jtl: Pain Medicine issn: 15262375 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Feb2026 vid: 27 iid: 2 pid: 10398 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 191385374 191385374 191385374 10.1093/pm/pnaf111 191385374 ppf: 170 ppct: 7 formats: tig: atl: The nerve to vastus medialis as a target for treating chronic medial knee joint pain: an ultrasound-based anatomical localization study in healthy subjects. aug: au: Orduña-Valls, Jorge Ferreira-Silva, Nuno Acevedo, Carlos Cuñat, Tomas Araujo-Cernuda, Ricardo Vallejo, Ricardo Ribeiro-da-Silva, Tomás Peña, Isaac Ferreira-dos-Santos, Guilherme affil: MIVI Salud Hospital Quirón Valencia, Valencian Community, 46010, SpainFundación MIVI, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08017, Spain sug: subj: Vastus Medialis Muscles Innervation Knee Joint Anatomy and Histology Knee Joint Ultrasonography Knee Joint Pathology Chronic Pain Therapy Knee Pain Therapy Pain Management Human Portugal Male Female Adult Descriptive Research Prospective Studies Descriptive Statistics T-Tests Mann-Whitney U Test Post Hoc Analysis Pearson's Correlation Coefficient Confidence Intervals Odds Ratio Motor Neurons Quadriceps Muscles Innervation Volunteer Workers Health Status Adult: 19-44 years Male Female ab: Background Chronic knee joint pain, resulting from osteoarthritis, post-surgical sequelae, or traumatic injuries, represents a debilitating clinical condition. Interventional approaches to manage chronic knee joint pain have been employed for decades, yielding variable outcomes in terms of pain relief, sustainability of analgesic effects, and functional restoration. The term "genicular nerves" is commonly used to refer to the primary sensory innervation of the knee joint capsule. However, recent studies have increasingly recognized the significance of additional neural structures, such as the nerve to vastus medialis. Methods This descriptive, prospective anatomical study involved 20 healthy volunteers. The nerve to vastus medialis was assessed using ultrasound. The following was documented: (a) confirmation of the presence of the nerve to vastus medialis ; (b) number of branches/distribution patterns; (c) distance from the division of the NVM into its distal branches to the medial femoral epicondyle; and (d) positional relationship of the branches in the distal region of the knee. Results The presence of the nerve to vastus medialis was confirmed in all participants. The nerve exhibited considerable variability in terms of the number of branches (2 to 5). Two distinct types of branches were identified: (a) trans/intramuscular branches, which were present in varying numbers (0 to 3) in the proximal thigh likely providing motor innervation to the muscle; (b) extramuscular branches, (typically 2 or 3), located in the distal thigh, presumed to have a sensory function. The distance from the division of the NVM into its distal branches to the medial femoral epicondyle was 13.07 ± 3.40 cm. The depths of the distal branches ranged from 1.0 to 4.4 cm. Conclusion The findings from this study offer a standardized approach to the identification and mapping of the nerve to vastus medialis distal branches, essential for interventional treatments. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: diagnostic images pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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