Did You Know # 37
As you can imagine there are at least twenty different muscles associated with the hip. I will do my best to write about the majority of them over a series of blogs and for those that I have already mentioned in previous blogs, I will provide the blog number for you to view them.
The hip anatomy can be broken down into four groups, those being the flexors, adductors, abductors and extensors. In this Blog, we will talk about the first two groups being the flexors and the adductors.
Ok, so here goes………
The first group being the flexor group of muscles are the anterior muscles such as the Quadricep muscle group and the Illiopsoas muscle group.
The Quadricep group consists of four muscles being the Vastus Lateralis (DYK blog #10), Vastus medialis (DYK blog #11), Vastus intermedialis (DYK blog #12) and the Rectus Femoris (DYK blog #14) and are responsible for flexing the leg at the hip for example, bringing the knee to the chest.
The Illiopsoas group consists of the Psoas and the Illiacus (DYK blog #27) which form one muscle attachment at the lesser trochanter (a notch on the thigh bone) which flex or bend the torso forward and bring the thighs toward the torso.
I have provided videos for stretching the Flexors at the end of this blog.
The second group being the adductor group of muscles are the muscles located on the inside of your leg and affectionately called the groin muscles. There are a total of five muscles, the Adductor Brevis, the Adductor Longus, the Adductor Magnus, the Gracilis and the Pectineus.
The Adductor Brevis which is the smallest, the Adductor Longus is the longest and the Adductor Magnus is the biggest of the Adductor muscles, all attach at the pubic bone and insert onto the Femur (thigh bone). These three muscles bring your leg inwards to your body however the Magnus splits into two with the posterior or hamstring part of the muscle rotating the hip toward your body. We’ll visit the Hamstring group in next months DYK blog.
The fourth muscle in the adductor group is the Gracilis. This muscle attaches at the pubis and inserts onto the tibia which is referred to as the shinbone of the lower leg. This muscle rotates the leg at the knee in towards the other leg.
The fifth muscle in the adductor group is the Pectineus. The pectineus muscle is a flatter muscle situated on the front and middle of the upper thigh and originates from part of the pubis. This muscle flexes the thigh toward the torso and rotates it toward the middle line of the body for example, when crossing your legs.
Injuries to the adductor group also known as a groin injury can occur when your legs move too rapidly outwards to the side for example when doing the splits or failing to keep your legs together when skiing or skating.
Next month we will look at the Abductors and Extendors so until then, remember to do your stretches
Content of this post is for information only and does not replace the medical advice provided by a registered General Practitioner (GP). If symptoms persist please see your GP or Health professional.














