Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Hip Adductor Muscles (Groin Muscles of the Inner Thigh)
The foam roller exercises and stretches that I will focus on in this article are for your groin muscles. If this area is not problematic for you, scroll down to the bottom of the page for a complete list of my foam rolling exercises.
I focus on the body-mind connection and the metaphysical cause for problems with your adductors. If you continue reading about the body-mind connection for this area you may just be able to learn more about yourself and how you hold your stress!
'Look at my body. You will see the entire universe there. And all are part of the same, which is me.' ~ from The Bhagavad Gita
Hopefully you have first read Foam Rolling for an overview of body rolling on a foam roller. A simple technique for self myofascial release is accomplished by foam roller exercises. Self myofascial release is a great way to keep your muscles supple, elongated and free of stress knots. If you read Foam Rolling, I describe the body-mind-soul benefits of this activity. Foam roller exercises are a great way for self-love.
Foam roller exercises help you stretch, elongate and treat your muscles. Athletes rely on the foam roller to roll out muscle knots and get them back into the game. This self myofascial release technique helps you avoid more expensive treatments provided by therapists. You can now be your own therapist when you do your foam roller exercises!
I recommend the Premium Textured EVA Foam Roller from Power Systems. The one I purchased is the best I have to date. It is nice and cushiony on the outside, but firm on the inside for effective foam rolling. It also has a textured surface to stick to my yoga mat better.
The release of muscular tension often brings about emotional release as well, as you learn to focus on the areas of soreness and make the process of the foam roller exercises more meditative. It is another way for you to learn how to ‘feel it and heal it’ as I like to call it. Emotions do affect our bodies, so please see How Emotions Affect Our Body if you desire to learn more about this very important issue regarding the body-mind connection and body-mind-soul healing.
The Function of the Hip Adductor Muscles
The adductor muscles of the hip are the muscles that are inside your thighs. They are more commonly known as the groin muscles and are easy to locate. If you are sitting, place your fingers inside your thighs just below your pubic bone and squeeze your knees together. You can immediately feel the top of the adductor muscles. As with most muscles, the adductors are actually a group of muscles, the adductor brevis, adductor longus and the adductor magnus.
A really nice picture and description of the adductor muscles can be found at the Vancouver Yoga Website. To envision the location of the groin muscles under the quadriceps muscles of the thigh, see this picture at ExRx.net.
The hip adductor muscles, like all muscles have more than one action, but their main function is to bring the legs/knees together toward the center of the body. This is the exact opposite of the Tensor Fasciae Latae that abduct the leg, or pull the leg outward away from the body.
The hip adductor muscles are also instrumental in the stability of the hip joint and are responsible for the flowing and graceful deeper movements at the hip like those done in yoga. A lot of yoga and body-mind disciplines include the groin muscles in the muscles of the core. Other experts agree that any muscle that attaches to the trunk is part of the core. All the muscles of the thighs and pelvic floor that attach to the pelvis and the lower back are part of the core. Any muscles that attach to the ribs, the back or the shoulder, also consists of the core. Those muscles would include the abdominals, the lattissimus dorsi, the neck and all muscles of the upper arms and shoulder girdle.
The engagement of the core is necessary to create the solid foundation for integrated, flowing and easy movements that are necessary in any sport to promote stability and prevent injury.
Tight groin muscles can hamper the effectiveness of your performance. Anyone who has suffered from a groin pull can attest to the importance of this muscle group in doing just about anything in the activities of daily life. Groin pulls are most often due to insufficient conditioning and/or strengthening prior to engaging in a new sport or activity. They are more common in males, so you may extrapolate on what that might mean.
Meditate on the Meaning of the Adductor Muscles in Your Life
The body metaphor (See Developing Intuition by Using Your Body) for the adductor muscles, I always like to say, is surrounding the concept of “holding it all together,” or “not being able to hold it all together.”
Recently I have done a lot of telemark skiing, which unlike alpine skiing, you are essentially lunging down the mountain. Telemark skiing is also known as free-heel skiing. One leg is forward of the other, and the stability required in both the knees and hips is enormous as you balance yourself in the lunge position as you are flying down the mountain. Especially for an old geezer like me!
Of course, I did not do adductor muscles strengthening prior to ski season, but to my credit, I did do lots and lots of lunges. Since the body is a chain, with one muscle affecting the performance of another, the lunges did help with adductor muscle strengthening, but apparently, not enough.
During the ski season, my inner knees started killing me. I thought it was just my quadriceps or my sartorius muscles that were sore and tight from the lunging. When I finally figured it all out and went to foam roll my inner thighs, I thought I would scream in agony. Now the vastus medialis head (one component of the quadriceps, above the knee to the inside of the leg) was definitely involved as well, but I don’t know why it took me so long to include the adductor muscles in my self myofascial release program. Like the men with their groin pulls, I guess. It’s an area that goes unnoticed and un-thought-of until yours get tight and/or injured.
When I was meditating on my adductor muscles as I rolled them, I couldn’t help thinking that I was not ‘holding it all together.’ Quite literally, in fact as holding my legs together to telemark was a real issue for me – a body-mind-soul issue. I have been seriously considering switching to alpine skiing after many, many years of telemark skiing, because the strength and effort required to telemark is no longer providing me with the enjoyment I used to get. Now it is just dang hard work. Life is too short to do an activity that no longer brings enjoyment.
It was mostly about ego-enjoyment anyway. That I was still able, as a female, over the age of 50 to telemark ski at all, was a continued accomplishment. Yet I kept finding myself switching to parallel turns (which you can actually do on telemark skis) because I would tire of lunging after about 5 runs! So my issue was related to the fact that my heart was no longer into telemark skiing and my body was letting me know that I didn’t need to hold this concept of myself any longer.
If you need to strengthen your groin muscles, for your sport that your heart is in to, I recommend Dr. Charles Inniss’ website for his recommended thigh exercises. He is a doctor of physical therapy and a personal trainer, and his websites are the best for training information!
If your adductors or groin muscles are tight, meditate on what you are trying to hold together, or what you are no longer able to hold together!
Sexuality Issues of the Groin Muscles and the Inner Thigh
On a more serious note, the other issue that is intimately involved with the adductor muscles is the issue of sexuality. The movement of keeping the knees together is a sexually protective movement, especially for women, so this muscle area may hold special significance. Holding it all together now has an entirely new meaning if you are female. Chronically held, and tensed muscles of the inner thigh may have to do with issues of abuse and other sexuality issues.
When you start foam roller exercises on your inner thighs, emotions may come out for which you are not prepared. Go slowly at first and let the feelings come. All emotions need to be expressed. If it is too frightening for you, you may wish to seek a supportive person to help you understand what it is you need to feel and release.
Since the groin muscles are connected to the pelvis and the pelvic floor, or the muscles surrounding the anus, urethra and vagina, if you have urinary issues, hemorrhoids, impotence, vaginal issues, or other sexuality issues, the inner thighs may also be affected.
If you are a victim of sexual abuse, I strongly urge you to also view the website from Becky Herdmann, at Soul Expressions Abuse Recovery. She is a fellow RN and victim herself. She can help provide even more resources for you in your journey towards healing your body-mind-soul.
Directly opposite of holding it all together, is not being able to let go or holding it together way too tight. Hemorrhoids are usually due to constipation and constipation is the inability to let go of your feces. If you habitually tense at your adductor muscles or inner thighs because of your personal body-mind-soul issues, you may also tense your pelvic floor muscles at the same time and cause more retention.
Being unable to let go, or release the muscles of the pelvic floor and inner thighs, will cause you to push too hard to expel feces. The functions of defecation, urination and orgasm require the ability for relaxing the pelvic floor and letting go – not tensing and pushing too hard.
The hips and thighs hold lots of unreleased deep emotions, as I have discussed in Foam Rolling for the Iliopsosis, Piriformis, and Iliotibial band. Meditative foam roller exercises on these areas may bring forth unexpected emotions. When you do these foam roller exercises for your groin muscles or inner thighs, meditate on what this tissue area may represent in your life, and if you sense held emotions that need releasing. Meditate on what emotions you may be trying to hold together. Meditate on what it is that you may be unable to let go.
I lovingly let go of all control. God/the Universe guides and supports me in all things.
I hold loosely onto all that is important to me.
I release all that I hold on to too tight.
All that I no longer need in my life passes through me with ease and I give it back freely to the Universe!
I love my body and accept it as a God-given instrument of pleasure!
I release the past and joyfully let it go.
Or create your own positive affirmations that speak to you as your intuition guides you.
Foam Roller Exercises for Your Adductor Muscles
As with all foam roller exercises you can adjust the amount of pressure you place on the muscle by how far you sink your weight into it. You can also roll slightly left or right by rolling your body in either direction to get all sides of the muscle. Proceed lightly with the groin muscle if you have never done it before. This is a very sensitive area and may cause great pain at first. Make sure you do both sides equally to maintain your balance.
When you roll the muscle, if you sense a spot or knot that is sore, hold the pressure of your weight over that area for a while, about 20-30 seconds, or as long as you wish. B-r-e-a-t-h-e as you sink into the sore spot. If it is too painful that you cannot breathe, ease up on the pressure. The deep breathing is the signal to your body that you are in the relaxed state and eventually the muscle will release as long as you are able to deep breathe.
If the pain is so great that you have to hold your breath, the opposite effect will occur. Your muscle will tense up and become even more painful. So only apply as much pressure that you can continue to deep breathe! Also do not roll the muscle area too vigorously at first or you may cause bruising and more soreness to occur. Go slow if you are new to foam roller exercises.
Really notice your body and how it feels when you do the foam roller exercises. Feel the pull, the stretch, the discomfort and sink into it. Breathe deeply as you sink farther into it. Let go. Let the tension go, let the stress go and let the muscle release. When the muscle releases, so may your emotions, your need to control and hold the tension! Let the feeling and the release come! Feel it and heal it! It will do you body, mind and soul wonders!
I will give the foam roller exercises in two parts: First I will give you a brief description of the movement in writing for those of you who function best with your left, detail-oriented brain.
Second is a short video of the movement. There is no voice-over on the video, so as you watch, I will force you to use your right brain, the sensing, feeling part of your brain. The right brain perceives images and spatial relationships. It is the part of the brain that you most often close down, in our left-brain, detail and language-oriented culture. (See Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance for more explanation of right brain vs. left-brain functions). No voice-over will also aid you in going inward when you do your foam roller exercises.
Foam Roller Exercises for Your Hip Adductor Muscles (Groin Muscles of the Inner Thigh):
Place the foam roller parallel to the length of your body on the right side.
Raise your upper body onto your elbows.
Bend your right knee and place the foam roller under your knee with leg in bent position. I like to hook my foot on the inside of the foam roller for added stability.
Roll up and down the inner thigh by shifting your weight from one elbow to the other.
You can roll down towards the knee and really hit the head of the vastus medialis and sartorius as well.
You can try this foam roller exercise standing up, placing the foam roller on a table. If you are tall, this may actually work better for you than rolling on the floor. I would recommend an 18" foam roller if you roll on a table.
To increase the pressure and the stretch, sink harder into the foam roller
Move slightly right or left to target different parts of the muscle.
The following stretches can be done before or after the foam roller exercises. When sitting do the yoga Bound Angle Stretch. Yoginis can sit in this position with their knees touching the floor. You can modify the position by gently pressing on your knees with your elbows, to deepen the stretch if you are like me - unable to touch the knees!
You can also do the yoga Wide-legged, Standing Forward Bend. This is a real nice groin stretch:
For the Kneeling Crescent Pose, sink into the stretch by bringing your weight forward toward your forward knee. You do not have to keep your arms up if it is difficult to balance.
Foam Rolling and exercise stretches are a great way to stretch your body and 'stretch your mind’ and heal your body-mind-soul. It is the metaphor of creating space in your life, by creating space in your body!
May your path to self-discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and stretches for your adductor muscles and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing through self myofascial release begin!
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