Hip Adductor Mojo

July 1, 2016

The hip adductors are some amazing muscles. Busy little suckers with powerful movement mojo. What are they, what do they do, and why are they always a mess? Good questions. Let’s get into it…

The adductor complex consists of:

Pectineus

Adductor Brevis

Adductor Longus

Adductor Magnus

Gracilis

They play a role in adducting, flexing, internally rotating and extending the hip. Jeez that’s a lot. They are part of Thomas Myers Deep Core Stabilizing Line, the Anterior Oblique Subsystem and Lateral Subsystem of movement. That’s even more a lot (yes I meant to write that )

Adductors are important muscles for amplifying power and stabilizing the body, especially during walking. If the abdominal region is weak or inhibited with poor activation the adductors can take over for stabilization. They become the primary driver of force generation AND amplification. This ticks off the adductors causing overload, tightness and pain.

If you bodyweight squat and your knees cave in (valgus collapse) you probably have this occurring. Yes, if the ankles don’t move or the hips are not stable the knees cave in. But you need to ask a deeper question, why are the ankles locked and the hips unstable? Something is amiss higher up.

Want to feel the connection? Stand and put your feet together so they touch. Place your hands along your abdominal region gripping the front and sides. Now slowly squeeze your knees together and notice what you feel beneath your hands. You should feel the abdominal region contract. That’s the connection.

Notice your first instinct when squeezing the inner thighs might be to hold your breath. That’s an indication of possible diaphragm dysfunction. The diaphragm is also part of the deep core line connected to the adductors.

Movement Mojo Tip:
For chronic adductor problems assess the diaphragm and breathing for dysfunction. See my diaphragm self release video here.

Suggestions for Loving Up Your Adductors

1. Foam roll and release the adductors. Feels good and stimulates the brain
   

   Adductor complex is part of the Deep Core Chain, Anterior Oblique Subsystem and the Lateral Subsystem Busy suckers for movement They are often overloaded from dysfunctional timing in these systems Releasing them feels good and helps once you combine it with stability patterning Adductors that feel like granite are highly linked to abdominal weakness/inhibition #StopChasingPain #RollingMojo #RuiLiRocks @odysseyathletic @cakefitinc

   A photo posted by Perry Nickelston (@stopchasingpain) on Jun 29, 2016 at 5:42pm PDT

2. Rocktape the adductors. A powerhouse for stability and proprioceptive input to the brain. Warning: Taking it off kinda sucks sometimes
   
3. Baby Get Up movement to help sequence the whole body down on the ground
   

   Baby Getup from Dr. Perry Nickelston on Vimeo.

One Big Thing

Always ask why something hurts. Think like your brain. What’s it trying to tell you. Pain is a request for change. So change how you move.

Have fun with your inner thigh. Or better yet, someone else’s:)

Come to one of our workshops across the world…Primal Movement Chains: Moving Beyond Mobility 2-Day workshops to learn more

Join the movement by becoming an Official Stop Chasing Pain GoPro member. #GoProMojo

Stay Strong,
Perry