Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Thigh Adductor Magnus Muscles

The adductor group of thigh muscles occupies the medial myofascial compartment of the thigh. This group of muscles, in general, takes origin from the pelvis and inserts on the femur. As is often the case, exceptions exist to the compartment generalizations; the gracilis, rather than attaching to the femur, attaches to the proximal medial tibia as part of the pes anserine group. The medial compartment muscles include pectineus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, gracilis and the largest of the group, adductor magnus. These muscles all serve as adductors of the thigh, but also serve as important stabilizers of the pelvis and work to maintain balance of the pelvis on the lower limb during gait. The nerve supply to most of the muscles in this compartment is the obturator nerve, which arises from the lumbar plexus from nerve roots L2-4. Adductor magnus is the largest of the medial compartment muscles; it is the most posterior of the group, and some consider it the most powerful and also the most complex of the adductor group. Adductor magnus will be the focus of this article. This muscle's complexity is in part derived from the fact that it divides into an adductor (pubofemoral) portion and a hamstring (ischiocondylar) portion.