Adductor magnus !
The adductor magnus is a large muscle of the inner thigh; it pulls the leg inward and helps extend the hip.
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What it is
A large inner thigh muscle.
What it does
Pulls the leg inward and helps extend the hip.
Key facts
- Origin
- Adductor part: inferior pubic ramus and ischial ramus; hamstring part: ischial tuberosity
- Insertion
- Adductor part: gluteal tuberosity, linea aspera, medial supracondylar line; hamstring part: adductor tubercle
- Action
- Adducts hip; adductor part flexes, hamstring part extends hip
- Nerve
- Adductor part: obturator nerve (L2–L4); hamstring part: sciatic nerve, tibial division (L4)
- Blood supply
- Deep femoral artery and perforating branches; obturator artery; medial circumflex femoral artery
Relations
- In front
- Adductor brevis and adductor longus; the posterior branch of the obturator nerve and the deep femoral artery lie on its front surface
- Behind
- Sciatic nerve, which lies on its back surface, and the hamstrings
- Medial
- Gracilis
- Above
- Quadratus femoris, along the upper border of its uppermost part (adductor minimus)
- Below
- Adductor hiatus above the adductor tubercle, through which the femoral artery and vein pass into the popliteal fossa
How to find it
With the thigh slightly abducted, the cord of its hamstring part can be followed down the inner thigh just above the knee to the adductor tubercle, the bony bump at the top of the medial femoral condyle. Its bulk forms much of the inner back of the thigh.
On imaging
Axial MRI shows its bulk in the posteromedial thigh, behind the other adductors. Near its lower end lies the adductor hiatus, where CT or MR angiography show the femoral vessels passing back to become the popliteal vessels. MRI shows strains, often in the proximal part near the ischium in posterior thigh or groin pain. On knee radiographs, the adductor tubercle marks its lower attachment.
Clinical notes
- The femoral artery is tethered at the adductor hiatus: a common site of atherosclerotic narrowing, and a fixed point that makes the artery vulnerable in distal femur fractures and knee dislocations
- The perforating branches of the deep femoral artery pierce its insertion near the linea aspera, a source of bleeding in approaches to the femur
- A fibrous band at the entrance of the adductor canal can rarely compress the femoral artery in young athletes (adductor canal syndrome)
Anatomical variants
- The uppermost part often forms a distinct adductor minimus, separate in more than half of the specimens in the cited review
Development
A composite muscle: its adductor part belongs to the adductor group (obturator nerve) and its hamstring part to the hamstring group (tibial division of the sciatic nerve), both from the ventral muscle mass; the double nerve supply reflects this.
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
What is the adductor hiatus, and what passes through it?
The gap between the adductor and hamstring parts of the adductor magnus; the femoral artery and vein pass through it to become the popliteal vessels.
What is the double nerve supply of the adductor magnus?
Adductor part: obturator nerve (L2–L4); hamstring part: tibial division of the sciatic nerve (L4).
Where does the hamstring part of the adductor magnus insert, and why is it a landmark?
On the adductor tubercle, a palpable bump at the top of the medial femoral condyle at the level of the distal femoral growth plate.
Why is the femoral artery vulnerable at the adductor hiatus?
It is tethered there: a common site of atherosclerotic narrowing and a fixed point that puts it at risk in distal femur fractures and knee dislocations.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- adductor magnus TA2 2630
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Músculo aductor mayor
- English (TA2)
- Adductor magnus
- Also called
- adductor magnus muscle
Related
- Adductor brevis
- Adductor minimus
- Sciatic nerve
- Obturator nerve
- Deep femoral artery
- Perforating arteries
- Adductor magnus tendon
- Femur
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Thigh Adductor Magnus Muscle.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
