What is the expected clinical presentation of a femoral cutaneous nerve injury?

In the case of a femoral cutaneous nerve injury, the most characteristic clinical presentation is pain and dysesthesia in the anterolateral thigh. The femoral cutaneous nerve is responsible for sensory innervation to the skin of the anterior and lateral aspects of the thigh. When this nerve is injured or compressed, the result is often sensations like tingling, burning, or pain in the affected area, which aligns with what is experienced as dysesthesia.

This condition does not result in motor deficits, so there would not be a complete loss of leg movement or muscle weakness in the groin. The femoral cutaneous nerve only conveys sensory information, which is why options discussing motor deficits or sensory loss in areas not supplied by the nerve do not fit the expected presentation. Thus, the specific manifestation of pain and dysesthesia in the anterolateral thigh makes it the defining symptom of a femoral cutaneous nerve injury.