[3] The posterior division then gives off the saphenous nerve as it converges with the femoral artery where it passes beneath the sartorius muscle.

At the medial side of the knee it gives off a large infrapatellar branch, which pierces the sartorius muscle and fascia lata.

The saphenous nerve is also often damaged during vein harvest for bypass surgery and during trocar placement during knee arthroscopy.

There appears to be occasional meaningful individual variation in the pathway of this nerve, such that the illustration of it done for Gray's Anatomy, for example, likely represents an unusual rather than usual course.

[5] The saphenous nerve can experience entrapment syndrome from exercises involving the quadriceps or from prolonged walking or standing.

Pain often occurs at night, long after the physical exercise which induced it has stopped, and may be aggravated by climbing stairs.