Hi friends! Do you ever pay attention to the muscles of your inner thighs? Do you ever stretch or strengthen them? These muscles (called the hip adductors) can be easily overlooked, but they play a big role in the functioning of our pelvic floor muscles.
This hip adductors are a group of several muscles that attach from the pubic bone to the femur. These muscles are different sizes and range from short to long. These muscles work to bring our legs back to our body, or to midline. They need to be able to stretch when we bring our leg away from our bodies (think about doing the splits). While you may not be able to do the splits, it is important to keep these muscles long and strong.
Having tension or tightness in the hip adductors has been shown to contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction. This can cause issues like:
Pelvic pain
Urinary leakage
Urinary urgency
Prolapse (vaginal bulge)
Groin pain
Difficulty with penetration
When treating any of the symptoms above it's important to look at the pelvic floor muscles, but if we don't look at other areas of the body we may not fully be able to improve all symptoms. Often times, the hip adductors are this missing link.
Watch the video below with Jeanice to check your hip muscles for tension.
You might be asking yourself, I have tension in my inner thighs and some of the symptoms above, what can I do? First of all, remember there is hope!
Seeing a pelvic floor therapist will get you the most answers. They will be able to perform a full assessment to give you individual medical advice. You can ask your provider for a referral to a pelvic therapist or find one at ww.mypfm.com/find-a-pt.
Below are a few stretches you can try at home that can help with pelvic floor and inner thigh tightness.
It’s important to remember that while it can be helpful to stretch tight muscles, it is just as important to strengthen them. Strengthening the hip adductors can help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. One study found that squeezing the hip adductor muscles helped to perform a stronger pelvic floor contraction (Ojukwu, 2022; Hwang 2021).
Here are some great resources to help you learn more about your pelvic floor:
Watch our YouTube playlist Pelvic Physical Therapy
Watch Netflix for Your Pelvic Floor at Pelvic Flicks
Learn more about your pelvic floor on our Instagram
Visit our Amazon store for our favorite pelvic health products
Sign up for our email newsletter
For providers, check our online courses to help your clients. Consider joining our Ambassador Program and most of our courses are included with your membership!
The Hip and Urinary Incontinence: A look beyond the pelvic floor at what keeps us dry with Lauren Trosch, PT, DPT, OCS
Orthopedic Pelvic Assessment and Treatment for the Pelvic Pain Population with Dr. Kelli Wilson, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Written by Emily Reul, PT, DPT
References
Hwang UJ, Lee MS, Jung SH, Ahn SH, Kwon OY. Relationship between sexual function and pelvic floor and hip muscle strength in women with stress urinary incontinence. Sex Med. 2021;9(2):100325.
Ojukwu CP et al. Comparative effects of selected abdominal and lower limb exercises in the recruitment of the pelvic floor muscles: determining adjuncts to Kegel’s exercises. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2022;29:180-186.
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