Adductor Muscles
The adductor muscles of the legs pull the legs toward the midline of the body.
Location
The front and inside of the thigh
Attaches at the top of the pubic bones on either side of their two branches
They can have an impact on the hip joint.
Components:
Adductor longus
Adductor brevis
Adductor magnus – attached on the lower of the two branches of the pubic bone and closely related to the hamstrings.
Pectineus
Gracilis
Functions:
Help lift the leg as follows:
Flexion (in front of you)
Adduction (bring it towards the midline)
Medial rotation (rotate it inwards)
Restrict the leg from moving backwards, outwards and rotating internally.
Because the muscles attach to the pelvis they also have an effect on the positioning of the pelvis. They can pull down on the front of the pelvis and contribute to an anterior tilt. This can happen on one or both sides.
Yoga implications:
Poses where limitations may be experienced due to the Adductors:
Cobblers pose (Baddha Konasana) – this pose requires us to abduct and externally rotate the femur so the opposite of what these muscles do. This creates tension in the groin.
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) – The hip joint has to be both adducted and externally rotated relative to the pelvis. The tighter the abductors, the more likely it is that the pelvis will tilt anteriorly (making the bottom stick out). The more open and flexible the adductors are, the easier it is to keep the pelvis in a neutral position.
Further reading:
Read more about the Hip Joint in a separate article.
You can also read separate articles on other muscles around the hip joint:
The Quadriceps
The Hamstrings
The Adductors (this article is one of the topics in the series)
The Gluteals
The Deep Six Lateral Rotators
The Psoas
