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MuscleThighdeepBeyond Cert IVDraft

Adductor brevisMusculus adductor brevis

Short, triangular inner-thigh muscle lying under pectineus and adductor longus that pulls the thigh inwards and helps flex the hip.

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LatinMusculus adductor brevis
Origin
  • Outer surface of the body and inferior ramus of the pubis
Insertion
  • Lesser trochanter region and upper part of the linea aspera of the femur
Action
  • Adducts the hip
  • Helps flex the hip
  • May help rotate the hip; the direction depends on hip position
NerveObturator nerve (anterior and posterior branches) (L2–L4)
GroupAdductors
NameLatin adductor, 'one that brings towards', and brevis, 'short'.

Palpation

  1. Client supine with the hip slightly bent and turned out and the knee supported; drape securely and get consent first.
  2. Find adductor longus at mid-thigh on the front of the inner thigh.
  3. Adductor brevis lies directly beneath it and cannot be felt on its own; sink slowly with broad, flat pressure through adductor longus.
  4. Ask the client to squeeze the knee inwards gently; the deep layer firms along with the muscles above it.

Adductor brevis is a deep muscle in the Adductors group. It is sandwiched between Pectineus and Adductor longus in front and Adductor magnus behind, and the two branches of the obturator nerve pass in front of and behind it. It cannot be isolated by touch, so in practice it is worked along with the other adductors.

Sources describe its insertion slightly differently: Wikipedia’s summary box gives the lesser trochanter and linea aspera, while its main text says the upper part of the linea aspera, just beside pectineus and above adductor longus.

Draping and client comfort. The inner thigh is a sensitive area near the groin. Explain the work and get clear verbal consent first, keep the drape securely tucked so the groin stays covered, never work under the drape, and check in with the client. Deep work towards the pubic attachments is outside Cert IV scope. See Draping and room set-up.

Techniques

  • Compression — Pressing straight down into a muscle with the palm, fist or forearm, holding briefly, then releasing and moving on.
  • Muscle energy technique — The client gently contracts a muscle against the therapist's equal counterforce for a few seconds, relaxes, and the therapist then eases the body part to a new comfortable limit.

Works with

  • Adductor longus — Flat, fan-shaped inner-thigh muscle from the front of the pubic bone to the middle of the femur that pulls the thigh inwards and helps flex the hip.
  • Adductor magnus — Large, triangular inner-thigh muscle with an adductor part and a hamstring part, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps extend the hip.
  • Pectineus — Short, flat muscle at the top of the inner thigh, running from the pubic bone to just below the lesser trochanter, that flexes and adducts the hip.
  • Gracilis — Long, thin strap muscle running down the inner edge of the thigh from the pubic bone to the upper inner tibia, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps bend the knee.

Opposes

  • Gluteus medius — Thick, fan-shaped muscle on the outer side of the pelvis that abducts the hip and keeps the pelvis level when you stand on one leg.
  • Gluteus minimus — The smallest and deepest of the three gluteal muscles, lying under gluteus medius, that abducts and medially rotates the hip.
  • Tensor fasciae latae — Small muscle at the front of the outer hip, just below the ASIS, that tightens the iliotibial band and helps flex, abduct and medially rotate the hip.

Same group

  • Adductor longus — Flat, fan-shaped inner-thigh muscle from the front of the pubic bone to the middle of the femur that pulls the thigh inwards and helps flex the hip.
  • Adductor magnus — Large, triangular inner-thigh muscle with an adductor part and a hamstring part, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps extend the hip.
  • Gracilis — Long, thin strap muscle running down the inner edge of the thigh from the pubic bone to the upper inner tibia, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps bend the knee.
  • Pectineus — Short, flat muscle at the top of the inner thigh, running from the pubic bone to just below the lesser trochanter, that flexes and adducts the hip.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Adductor brevis muscle
  2. Wikipedia: Adductor muscles of the hip
  3. Wikipedia: Obturator nerve