Advanced Common Fibular Nerve Quiz

Q1. Why can a lesion at the fibular neck produce both motor weakness and cutaneous sensory loss?

• The nerve contains only sympathetic fibers there
• The nerve contains only sensory fibers there
• Motor and sensory fibers are still traveling together at this level
• The nerve contains only motor fibers there

Q2. Which examination finding can help distinguish common fibular neuropathy from an L5 radiculopathy?

• Preserved ankle inversion through tibialis posterior
• Dorsal foot sensory change
• Weak great toe extension
• Weak ankle dorsiflexion

Q3. Why may a patient with common fibular palsy develop a high-stepping gait?

• Loss of dorsiflexion interferes with toe clearance during swing
• Loss of quadriceps prevents knee flexion
• Loss of plantarflexion fixes the ankle in dorsiflexion
• Hip adductor paralysis lengthens the limb

Q4. Why can a proximal common fibular lesion cause more extensive sensory loss than an isolated deep fibular lesion?

• It can interrupt sensory fibers entering several distal branches
• It affects only the first dorsal web space
• It contains no sensory fibers proximally
• It supplies only the plantar surface

Q5. Why can common fibular deficits be prominent in some proximal sciatic nerve injuries?

• It is the only motor component of the sciatic nerve
• It lies inside the femoral artery
• It never travels with the tibial component
• The common fibular component has a relatively lateral position within the sciatic nerve

Q6. Which finding indicates involvement proximal to an isolated superficial fibular nerve lesion?

• Weak foot eversion
• Weak fibularis longus
• Weak ankle dorsiflexion
• Reduced sensation over much of the dorsum of the foot

Q7. Why can trauma at the fibular head injure the common fibular nerve while sparing the tibial nerve?

• Both nerves lie within the fibula
• The tibial nerve passes through the fibular neck
• The common fibular nerve is protected by the soleus arch
• The common fibular nerve is superficial at the fibular neck

Q8. Which combination of weakness most strongly localizes a lesion to the common fibular nerve before it divides?

• Weak knee extension and hip flexion
• Weak dorsiflexion and weak eversion
• Weak hip adduction and knee flexion
• Weak plantarflexion and inversion

Q9. Why can ankle inversion remain relatively strong after a severe common fibular nerve lesion?

• Fibularis longus becomes a powerful inverter
• Gastrocnemius is the primary inverter
• Tibialis posterior remains innervated by the tibial nerve
• Tibialis anterior is supplied by the femoral nerve

Q10. Which statement best integrates the anatomy of the common fibular nerve?

• It is an L4 through S3 nerve that passes behind the medial malleolus to the sole
• It is an L2 through L4 lumbar plexus nerve supplying the anterior thigh
• It is an S2 through S4 nerve supplying gluteus maximus
• It is an L4 through S2 sciatic component that courses to the fibular neck and divides into superficial and deep fibular nerves