The walk aid stimulates which nerve?

• A. Tibial nerve
• B. Common peroneal nerve
• C. Sciatic nerve
• D. Femoral nerve

Answer: (B)

The walk aid is designed to lift the front of the foot during the swing phase by activating ankle dorsiflexors. This is achieved by stimulating the common peroneal nerve, which branches from the sciatic nerve and runs around the fibular neck to reach the muscles that lift the foot (like the tibialis anterior). Stimulation of this nerve produces dorsiflexion, helping to clear the foot and prevent foot drop during walking, which is exactly what the walk aid aims to achieve.

Stimulating the tibial nerve would promote plantarflexion rather than dorsiflexion, which would not help with foot clearance. The sciatic nerve is a larger trunk that splits into the tibial and common peroneal nerves, so targeting it directly isn’t as effective for this specific purpose. The femoral nerve controls hip and knee movements, not ankle dorsiflexion, so it wouldn’t accomplish the desired effect either.