Adductor Strain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Adductor strains are common injuries that primarily affect athletes and are caused by sudden movements or overuse of the inner thigh muscles. In this article, you’ll learn how to recognize the symptoms, what immediate steps to take, and what you can do to get back in shape quickly.
Adductors and Their Role in the Body
The adductors are a group of muscles on the inner thigh consisting of six muscles. The term “adductors” generally refers to the muscles of the hip and inner thigh that are responsible for bringing the leg toward the body’s longitudinal axis at the hip joint. Functionally, the adductor group is classified as part of the hip musculature, but in principle, it belongs to the thigh musculature.
The adductors play a crucial role in stabilizing the pelvis. They help maintain balance and ensure an upright posture when standing and walking. In addition, they are primarily responsible for coordinating movements that require precise control, such as crossing the legs or changing direction while walking.
In sports such as soccer, tennis, and hockey, the adductors are essential for lateral movements and shooting a ball. They enable the powerful and precise movements required for athletic performance. Strong adductors also help prevent injuries by stabilizing the pelvis and legs.
A well-trained group of adductor muscles can reduce the risk of strains and muscle tears. In everyday life, the adductors help us dodge obstacles, climb stairs, and lift objects. They are important for movements that require lateral stability. The longest and strongest adductor muscle even extends all the way to the knee.
The adductor muscles include:
- Pectineus muscle
- Gracilis muscle
- Adductor longus
- Adductor brevis
- Musculus adductor magnus and
- Musculus adductor minimus
The most common injuries to the adductors include not only strains but also muscle fiber tears, groin strains, and inflammation.
By the way: You’ve probably heard of the abductors as well. Unlike the adductors, the abductor muscles are responsible for all movements that move the limbs away from the body. These are therefore muscle groups with opposing functions in the body.
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Causes and Symptoms
An adductor strain results from overuse or overstretching of the inner thigh muscles. In most cases, this type of strain is caused by a sudden sideways movement or a lunge.
There is an increased risk of an inner thigh strain, particularly in sports that require athletes to make frequent changes in pace or perform abrupt counter-movements and side steps while running—such as field hockey, ice hockey, tennis, and soccer—or during sudden acceleration in sprints. Long-distance running can also place excessive strain on the adductors, as can sudden changes in direction during trail running, cross-country running, or in competitions. In approximately 64–69 percent of all acute groin injuries among soccer players, the hip adductors are affected.
But even in everyday life, people can suffer an adductor strain when making a quick change of direction—such as when dodging an obstacle or unexpectedly slipping on the street due to mud, snow, or black ice.
The main symptoms of an adductor strain include acute, pulling pain on the inner thigh or in the pubic bone and groin regions. These symptoms occur particularly when rotating, drawing in, or abducting the leg and can severely limit mobility.
Other symptoms of an adductor strain include mild to severe swelling or bruising, difficulty and pain when moving the leg, and stiffness in the affected area.
Provided that those affected take the proper steps, an adductor strain usually heals within two to four weeks.
Diagnosis of an adductor strain
Pain in the adductors can sometimes be very difficult to distinguish from other conditions that may also occur in this area of the body. It is often mistaken for pubic bone inflammation, but also for groin pain, such as that caused by a groin strain or a sports hernia. Unlike an adductor strain, which affects the muscles on the inner thigh, a groin strain generally refers to strains in the groin area that can also involve other muscles and structures.
Therefore, only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis. As part of a medical history, an orthopedic surgeon will first ask the patient about the circumstances of the injury, the symptoms, and their athletic activities.
During the physical examination, the doctor will palpate the adductors to identify tender points, assess the range of motion and strength of the adductors through various exercises and tests, and examine the affected area for swelling, redness, and bruising.
Imaging techniques such as ultrasound and MRI can better visualize fluid buildup and muscle injuries . This allows a doctor to assess the severity of the strain and rule out other injuries.
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First-aid measures for adductor strains
In recent years, there have been several follow-up treatment protocols for soft tissue injuries with the acronyms ICE, RICE, PECH, or POLICE. However, the most current and modern approach here is PEACE & LOVE. This evidence-based approach to post-treatment covers both the acute phase and the days that follow. PEACE stands for the acute phase and stands for Protection, Elevation, Avoid Anti-Inflammatory, Compression, and Education. Protection means reducing strain and avoiding painful movements, but not complete inactivity. Elevation involves keeping the affected area elevated above heart level. It also involves avoiding anti-inflammatory medications so as not to negatively impact the body’s self-regulation. Compression using bandages can minimize swelling, and education focuses primarily on explaining the nature of the injury and the optimal post-treatment care.
After a few days, LOVE comes into play, standing for Load, Optimism, Vascularization, and Exercise. Load refers to applying a gentle load to the affected area. Proper load management is crucial here. The patient should also maintain a positive outlook. Gentle cardiovascular training improves metabolism in the affected area and can contribute to better healing, while targeted exercises in exercise therapy improve function step by step. Pain and other signs of inflammation must always be monitored.
Regardless of this framework, it is always advisable to collaborate with physicians and experts in the fields of physical therapy, exercise therapy, and nutrition to ensure a structured and goal-oriented approach.
(Source: Dubois B, Esculier J-F (2020) Br J Sports Med)
Fascia Roller Massage
After acute treatment and once the pain has subsided, you can boost your blood circulation using heat or a fascia roller massage to stimulate the supply of nutrients to the tissue. We recommend the following exercises, which you can perform using the STANDARD fascia roller from BLACKROLL:
- Massage of the back of the thighs: While sitting, place both thighs on the BLACKROLL. Support yourself with your hands behind your back. Lift your buttocks. Slowly roll out the back of your thighs.
Activating the inner thighs: Start in a prone position. Support yourself on your forearms. Bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Place the BLACKROLL under your thigh. Roll your thigh quickly from the hip to the knee.
You can find more foam rolling exercises like these on our website.
More BLACKROLL exercises for you
Rehabilitation with Physical Therapy & Exercise Therapy
Ask your doctor for a prescription for physical therapy so you can receive the best rehabilitation for your needs. Your doctor can show you personalized exercises to help you gradually reintroduce the muscle to physical stress and slowly increase the intensity, as well as provide additional tips on how to quickly regain your full athletic performance.
The goal of medical exercise therapy is also to strengthen the affected area so that it can better withstand future stress and prevent the strain from recurring.
Mobilization and Strengthening of the Adductor Muscles
If you regularly mobilize your adductor group, it makes your muscles and connective tissue more flexible—and reduces your susceptibility to sports injuries. We’ll now introduce you to some suitable exercises for stretching and strengthening the adductor muscles that you can incorporate into your fitness routine.
Mobilizing the Adductors
Before you start your stretching routine, you should warm up to prepare your muscles for the upcoming stretches, for example, by doing regenerative and activating foam rolling exercises for the thighs
Side Lunges: Side lunges are an excellent exercise for mobilizing the adductors. They help stretch and activate the muscles on the inner thigh.
Instructions:
- Stand upright with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Step one leg out to the side so that the knee of your standing leg is slightly bent.
- Keep the extended leg straight, and lower your hips as you shift your weight onto the bent leg.
- Hold the position for 2–3 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Benefits: This exercise effectively stretches the adductors while increasing hip flexibility. It is suitable for both beginners and advanced practitioners.
Frog Stretch: The frog stretch is a static exercise that specifically targets the adductors while opening up the hips.
- Instructions:
- Kneel on the floor and spread your knees as wide as possible, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Support yourself on your forearms so that your back remains straight.
- Slowly lower your hips until you feel a comfortable stretch on the inner thighs.
- Hold this position for 20–30 seconds, breathing calmly.
Benefits: The frog stretch helps relieve tension in the adductors and improves mobility in the hip muscles.
Seated Adductor Rotation: This exercise combines mobilization and rotation to promote mobility in the adductors across different planes.
- Instructions:
- Sit on the floor with your legs spread wide apart.
- Bring one foot inward so that the sole of your foot rests against your other thigh, while keeping the other leg straight.
- Slowly rotate your upper body to the right and left. Make sure to keep your spine long and upright.
- Switch sides and repeat the exercise.
Benefits: This exercise activates the adductors while promoting hip rotation, which contributes to better mobility in daily life and during sports.
Conclusion
Mobilizing the adductors through targeted exercises such as side lunges, the frog stretch, and seated adductor rotations is essential for balanced mobility and muscle health. You can easily incorporate these exercises into your daily workout to increase the flexibility and strength of your inner thighs.
More Stretching Exercises
Strengthen the adductors
Sumo Squats
A variation of the standard squat is the so-called sumo squat, in which you stand with your feet wider apart than in the conventional version. Here’s how to do them:
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and turn your toes slightly outward, keeping your upper body upright.
- Lower your hips back and down until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Now push through your legs to return to the starting position.
Adduction in the Side-Lying Position
With side-lying adduction, you can train your adductors without any equipment. Here’s how to do the exercise:
- Lie on your side on a mat.
- Bend your top leg and place your foot in front of your lower leg, roughly at knee height.
- Now lift the lower leg slightly upward and then lower it again.
Side Lunges
Side lunges work the adductors and the muscles in your thighs and glutes.
- To do this, stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
- First, take a wide step to the side with your right leg, shift your weight to the right side, and bend your knee. Keep your feet parallel to each other.
- Now push the bent leg back up and return to the starting position.
- Now repeat this exercise with your left leg.
Return to Sports and Training, and Prevention
If you want to resume your training after an adductor strain, you should start with light activities that don’t put too much strain on the adductors, gradually increase the intensity, and listen to your body’s signals.
A thorough warm-up before exercise prepares your muscles for the upcoming strain, and regular mobility exercises (see examples above) make your muscles less prone to injury.
Also, incorporate strengthening exercises for the adductors into your workout and gradually increase the resistance. However, reduce the intensity of your workout immediately if you feel any pain. An optimal return to sports and training also involves scheduling enough rest days to give your muscles time to recover.
