The femoral sheath contains the femoral artery and vein as well as lymphatics, but not the nerve. The femoral nerve lies behind and lateral to the sheath.

The femoral nerve gives off three cutaneous branches:

• Two from its anterior division (medial and intermediate cutaneous nerves of thigh which supply the skin of the medial and anterior surfaces of the thigh) and
• One from its posterior division (saphenous nerve).

The saphenous nerve runs down the medial side of the leg and supplies the medial side of the calf as far as the medial malleolus. It terminates in the region of the ball of the big toe and may supply the medial side of the dorsum of the foot.

The femoral nerve is the largest branch of the lumbar plexus and comes from the same lumbar nerves as the obturator nerve, L2, 3 and 4.