In human anatomy

Human anatomy

Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy is the study of anatomical structures that can be seen by the naked eye...

, the adductor muscles of the hip is a group of muscles of the thigh.

Muscles

The adductor group is made up of:

• Adductor brevis
  Adductor brevis muscle
  The adductor brevis is a muscle in the thigh situated immediately behind the pectineus and adductor longus.-Origin and insertion:It is somewhat triangular in form, and arises by a narrow origin from the outer surfaces of the superior and inferior rami of the pubis, between the gracilis and...
  
  
• Adductor longus
  Adductor longus muscle
  In the human body, the adductor longus is a skeletal muscle located in the thigh. One of the adductor muscles of the hip, its main function is to adduct the thigh and it is innervated by the obturator nerve...
  
  
• Adductor magnus
  Adductor magnus muscle
  The adductor magnus is a large triangular muscle, situated on the medial side of the thigh.It consists of two parts. The portion which arises from the ischiopubic ramus is called the "adductor portion", and the portion arising from the tuberosity of the ischium is called the "hamstring portion"...
  
  
• Adductor minimus
  Adductor minimus muscle
  In human anatomy, the adductor minimus is a small and flat skeletal muscle in the thigh which constitutes the upper, lateral part of the adductor magnus muscle....
  
   This is often considered to be a part of adductor magnus.
• pectineus
  Pectineus muscle
  The pectineus muscle is a flat, quadrangular muscle, situated at the anterior part of the upper and medial aspect of the thigh....
  
  
• gracilis
  Gracilis muscle
  The gracilis is the most superficial muscle on the medial side of the thigh. It is thin and flattened, broad above, narrow and tapering below.-Origin and insertion:...
  
  
• Obturator externus
  Obturator externus muscle
  The obturator externus muscle is a flat, triangular muscle, which covers the outer surface of the anterior wall of the pelvis.It is sometimes considered part of the medial compartment of thigh, and sometimes considered part of the gluteal region....
  
   and are also part of the medial compartment of thigh
  Medial compartment of thigh
  The medial fascial compartment of thigh contains the hip adductors.The obturator nerve is the primary nerve supplying this compartment.The muscles in the compartment are:* gracilis* adductors** adductor longus** adductor brevis** adductor magnus...
  
  

Origin and insertion

The adductors originate on the pubis

Pubis (bone)

In vertebrates, the pubic bone is the ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis.It is covered by a layer of fat, which is covered by the mons pubis....

 and ischium bones.
and insert on the medial, posterior surface of the femur

Femur

The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...

.

Innervation

They are supplied by the obturator nerve

Obturator nerve

The obturator nerve in human anatomy arises from the ventral divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves; the branch from the third is the largest, while that from the second is often very small.-Path:...

. except a small part of adductor magnus, that is innervated by tibial nerve

Tibial nerve

The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus.In the popliteal fossa the nerve gives off branches to gastrocnemius, popliteus, soleus and plantaris muscles, an articular branch to the knee joint, and a...

.

Variation

In 33% of people a supernumerary

Supernumerary body part

Supernumerary body parts are most commonly a congenital disorder involving the growth of an additional part of the body and a deviation from the body plan. Body parts may be easily visible or hidden away, such as internal organs....

 muscle is found between the adductor brevis and minimus. When present, this muscle originates from the upper part of the inferior ramus of the pubis

Inferior pubic ramus

The inferior pubic ramus is a part of the pelvis and is thin and flat. It passes laterally and downward from the medial end of the superior ramus; it becomes narrower as it descends and joins with the inferior ramus of the ischium below the obturator foramen....

 from where it runs downwards and laterally. In half of cases, it inserts into the anterior surface of the insertion aponeurosis

Aponeurosis

Aponeuroses are layers of flat broad tendons. They have a shiny, whitish-silvery color, are histologically similar to tendons, and are very sparingly supplied with blood vessels and nerves. When dissected, aponeuroses are papery, and peel off by sections...

 of the adductor minimus. In the remaining cases, it is either inserted into the upper part of the pectineal line

Pectineal line

On the posterior surface of the femur, the intermediate ridge or pectineal line is continued to the base of the lesser trochanter and gives attachment to the pectineus muscle....

 or the posterior part of the lesser trochanter

Lesser trochanter

The lesser trochanter of the femur is a conical eminence, which varies in size in different subjects-Anatomy:It projects from the lower and back part of the base of the femur neck.From its apex three well-marked borders extend:...

. While similar to its neighbouring adductors, it is formed by separation from the superficial layer of the obturator externus

Obturator externus muscle

The obturator externus muscle is a flat, triangular muscle, which covers the outer surface of the anterior wall of the pelvis.It is sometimes considered part of the medial compartment of thigh, and sometimes considered part of the gluteal region....

, and is thus not ontogentically

Ontogeny

Ontogeny is the origin and the development of an organism – for example: from the fertilized egg to mature form. It covers in essence, the study of an organism's lifespan...

related to the adductors.

Tenotomy

So called adductor tenotomy (cutting the origin tendons of the adductor muscles of the thigh) and obturator neurectomy (cutting the anterior branch of the obturator nerve) is sometimes performed on children with cerebral palsy. These children often have a hypertonia of the adductor muscles, making abduction difficult, obstructing normal hip development, and putting them at risk of hip luxation.