Adductor Injuries

Adductor injuries affect the muscles on the inner thigh, which play a key role in hip stability, change of direction, and force generation during running, kicking, and cutting movements. These injuries are common in sports that involve sprinting, rapid acceleration, and lateral movement, but they can also occur during sudden changes in activity or load.

Adductor injuries range in severity and may involve:

• Muscle strains (overstretching or tearing of the muscle fibres)
   
• Tendinopathy (gradual overload of the adductor tendon)
   
• Chronic groin pain related to reduced strength or poor load tolerance
   

They are often graded as:

• Grade I – mild strain with minimal pain and little loss of function
   
• Grade II – partial tear with moderate pain, weakness, and reduced performance
   
• Grade III – complete rupture with significant pain, weakness, and functional limitation
   

Common symptoms include pain or tightness in the inner thigh or groin, discomfort with sprinting or kicking, reduced strength, and pain when squeezing the legs together or changing direction.

Physiotherapy management focuses on:

• Settling pain while maintaining appropriate activity levels
   
• Gradually restoring adductor strength and load tolerance
   
• Improving hip and trunk control
   
• Addressing contributing factors such as training load, fatigue, and movement demands