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Hip adductors
The group on the inside of the thigh that pulls the legs together and does far more hip extension work than its name suggests.
Latin name: Musculi adductores. In plain English, the inner thigh muscles. It is filed here under hip and buttock.
Reference information, not a diagnosis. Where a symptom is described below, it is there so you can describe your own more precisely to a clinician — not so you can name what you have.
Where it is
The adductors fill the inner thigh as a stack of triangular sheets running from the pubic bone downward and outward to the back of the femur. Adductor longus is the most superficial and the most commonly injured; brevis lies behind it; magnus is the large one behind both, with a posterior portion that behaves like a hamstring and attaches by a tendon to the adductor tubercle above the knee. Gracilis is the long thin strap that crosses the knee as well.
The gap in the tendon of adductor magnus, the adductor hiatus, is where the femoral artery passes from the front of the thigh to the back to become the popliteal artery — an anatomical detail with real surgical importance.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Muscles | Adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, gracilis and pectineus |
| Origin | The pubis and, for the hamstring part of adductor magnus, the ischial tuberosity |
| Insertion | Along the linea aspera of the femur and the adductor tubercle; gracilis continues past the knee to the pes anserinus on the medial tibia |
| Nerve | Obturator nerve (L2-L4); the hamstring part of adductor magnus by the tibial division of the sciatic nerve; pectineus usually by the femoral nerve |
| Main actions | Adduction of the hip, assistance with flexion or extension depending on hip position, and stabilisation of the pelvis in the frontal plane |
What it does
Bringing the legs together is only part of it. In walking and running the adductors work in both swing and stance, controlling the position of the thigh rather than dragging it inward. Adductor magnus in particular is a powerful hip extensor, contributing substantially in a deep squat or when standing up from a low position, and it is often left out of the list of hip extensors it belongs in.
They also matter in change-of-direction sport. Kicking, cutting and lateral pushing all load the adductors quickly and eccentrically, which is why groin injuries are so common in football, hockey and their relatives, and why adductor strength work has become a standard part of injury prevention programmes in those sports.
Exercises that load it
| Exercise | Category | Muscles the exercise library lists |
|---|---|---|
| Lunges | Strength | Quads, glutes, hamstrings, balance |
| Bodyweight squats | Strength | Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core |
| Barbell back squat | Strength | Quads, glutes, core, back |
| Cycling (19-22 km/h) | Cardio | Quads, glutes, calves, heart |
| Swimming, freestyle | Cardio | Whole body, heart, lungs |
Deep squats and split squats load them through range as hip extensors. Lateral movements — side lunges, skater steps, slide-board work — load them in the adduction role. The most researched preventive exercise for groin injury in team sport is the Copenhagen adduction exercise, a side-plank variant with the top leg supported, which loads the adductors eccentrically. Build up its volume slowly; it is much harder than it looks.
How it is lengthened
A seated butterfly with the soles of the feet together, or a wide-legged straddle taken gently, lengthens the group. A deep side lunge with one leg straight targets the longer muscles that cross the knee. Groin tissue does not respond well to being forced, and a sudden aggressive stretch on a cold adductor is a classic way to strain one.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | What it typically feels like | Usual setting |
|---|---|---|
| Adductor strain | A sharp pull in the inner thigh or groin, sore to squeeze the knees together | Kicking, sprinting, changing direction — most often adductor longus at its origin |
| Adductor-related groin pain | Persistent groin pain and tenderness at the pubic attachment, worse with sport and slow to settle | Chronic overload in kicking and cutting sports |
| Osteitis pubis | Pain centred on the pubic symphysis, worse on running, kicking and sit-ups | Repetitive shear across the pubic joint in sport |
Groin pain in a runner or athlete that persists for weeks, or hip and groin pain with a limp, deserves a proper assessment — hip joint problems and bone stress injuries present the same way and are managed very differently.
Nothing on this page is a treatment plan. If a problem is limiting what you do, is not improving, or is getting worse, the right next step is an assessment by a doctor or a physiotherapist who can examine you.
Sources: descriptive anatomy from Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th US edition (1918), which is in the public domain; Latin names follow Terminologia Anatomica, published by the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology. Nerve root levels are the conventional ranges taught from those sources and vary between individuals and between textbooks. Exercise cross-links use the TempoLife exercise library. Checked 2026-09-06.
Frequently asked questions
Are the adductors the same as the groin?
The groin is a region, not a muscle. Groin pain can come from the adductors, from the hip joint, from the abdominal wall, from the pubic bone or from a hernia, which is why persistent groin pain deserves a real assessment.
Is adductor magnus a hamstring?
Partly. Its posterior part arises from the ischial tuberosity like the hamstrings, is supplied by the tibial division of the sciatic nerve like them, and extends the hip like them. Anatomically it sits in both camps.
Why are groin strains so common in football?
Kicking loads the adductors eccentrically at high speed while the hip is extending and rotating — a combination of long muscle length and high force, which is where strains happen in any muscle.
Nearby in this reference
Iliopsoas
The deep hip flexor that runs from the lower spine to the thigh
Gluteus maximus
The main buttock muscle
Gluteus medius
The side-hip muscle that keeps the pelvis level
Piriformis
The deep rotator behind the hip, next to the sciatic nerve
Tensor fasciae latae
The small front-of-hip muscle that tightens the IT band
Deltoid
The cap of the shoulder
All 34 body parts · Exercise library · Body map
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