Surgical Exposure for the Nerves of the Back

In order to provide a complete reference for the surgical anatomy and exposure of the peripheral nerves of the back, a thorough literature search was performed. Peer-reviewed articles and anatomy atlases were consulted in order to provide a clear description of the surgical anatomy of the suboccipital nerve, the greater occipital nerve, the suprascapular nerve, the thoracic spinal nerves, the lumbar plexus, and the superior cluneal nerves. The nerve root contributions, the course, and the actions of each nerve were researched and documented. General operative exposures for each nerve were then researched utilizing operative atlases and peer-reviewed articles. The approaches were summarized and condensed into a step-by-step guide for the surgical exposure of each nerve.