 At the medial side of the knee it gives off a large infrapatellar branch, which pierces the sartorius and fascia lata, and is distributed to the skin in front of the patella.Below the knee, the branches of the saphenous nerve (medial crural cutaneous branches) are distributed to the skin of the front and medial side of the leg, communicating with the cutaneous branches of the femoral, or with filaments from the obturator nerve.Procedures such as saphenous vein cutdown or orthopedic surgery that includes incisions or dissection over the distal tibia or medial malleolus can result in damage to the saphenous nerve, resulting in loss of cutaneous sensation in the medial leg.