Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX USA) Practice

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Prepare for the COMLEX-USA with quizzes featuring flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Gear up for your osteopathic medicine exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Which dermatome is responsible for sensation in the knee?

Dermatome L1
Dermatome T12
Dermatome L3
Dermatome S1

The correct answer is: Dermatome L3

The knee's sensation primarily corresponds to the L3 dermatome. Each dermatome represents an area of skin that is mainly supplied by a single spinal nerve root. The L3 dermatome covers the area around the medial aspect of the knee and is typically associated with the femoral nerve and a part of the obturator nerve, which provide sensory innervation to the anterior and medial aspects of the thigh and the knee. Considering the options, L1 and T12 primarily innervate the lower abdominal and upper thigh regions, which do not specifically include the knee. The S1 dermatome, located much lower, relates more to the lateral aspect of the leg and the heel, thus further away from the knee's sensory region. Hence, the L3 dermatome is the most relevant for sensation in the knee area. This anatomical relationship underscores the importance of understanding the dermatomes and their clinical significance in diagnosing and treating neurological conditions affecting sensation.