Anatomic Comparison of the innervation of hip joint in human and dogs

Abstract

The arrangement of the nerve fibers responsible by the sensitive route of dogs and human beings were compared, since surgical techniques that have been developed for animal patients are based in similar ones used for pain control in arthrosis cases in human beings.  In this review it was outstanding that in human beings the sensitive innervation of the acetabular area is composed of branches from the superior gluteal, ischiatic, femoral and obturator nerves, while in dogs the responsible nerves are the cranial gluteal, ischiatic and femoral nerves. The obturator nerve is not related to this function in most animals, hence it can be considered an anatomic variation. The innervation, both in human beings and animals, presents bilateral symmetry and, apart from that, the difference between the human bipedal support and the canine quadrupedal support generates biomechanical forces in distinct points, leading to different nerve fiber concentrations between the two species. While the first presents a bigger nerve fiber density in the anteromedial area, for which the obturator nerve is responsible, the second presents a bigger density in the craniolateral and dorsal areas, for which the cranial gluteal and the ischiatic nerves are responsible.