Skip to main content
Log in

Adductor Muscle Strains in Sport

Sports Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An in-season adductor muscle strain may be debilitating for the athlete. Furthermore, an adductor strain that is treated improperly could become chronic and career threatening. Any one of the six muscles of the adductor group could be involved. The degree of injury can range from a minor strain (Grade I), where minimal playing time is lost, to a severe strain (Grade III) in which there is complete loss of muscle function.

Ice hockey and soccer players seem particularly susceptible to adductor muscle strains. In professional ice hockey players throughout the world, ~10% of all injuries are groin strains. These injuries, which have been linked to hip muscle weakness, previous injuries to that area, preseason practice sessions and level of experience, may be preventable if such risk factors can be addressed before each season. Hip-strengthening exercises were shown to be an effective method of reducing the incidence of adductor strains in one closely followed National Hockey League ice hockey team.

Despite the identification of risk factors and strengthening intervention for ice hockey players, adductor strains continue to occur throughout sport. Clinicians feel an active training programme, along with completely restoring the strength of the adductor muscle group, is the key to successful rehabilitation. Surgical intervention is available if nonoperative treatment fails for 6 months or longer. Adductor release and tenotomy was reported to have limited success in athletes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Table I
Table II

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lynch SA, Renström PA. Groin injuries in sport: treatment strategies. Sports Med 1999; 28 (2): 137–44

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Emery CA, Meeuwisse WH, Powell JW. Groin and abdominal strain injuries in the National Hockey League. Clin J Sport Med 1999; 9: 151–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ekstrand J, Gillquist J. The availability of soccer injuries. Int J Sports Med 1983; 4: 124–8

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Sim FH, Chao EY. Injury potential in modern ice hockey. Am J Sports Med 1978; 6 (6): 378–84

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tegner Y, Lorentzon R. Ice hockey injuries: incidence, nature and causes. Br J Sports Med 1991; 25 (2): 87–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Tyler TF, Nicholas SJ, Campbell RJ, et al. The association of hip strength and flexibility on the incidence of groin strains in professional ice hockey players. Am J Sports Med 2001; 29 (2): 124–8

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hölmich P, Uhrskou P, Ulnits L, et al. Effectiveness of active physical training as treatment for long-standing adductor related groin pain in athletes: randomized trial. Lancet 1999; 353: 339–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Moore KL. Clinically oriented anatomy. 3rd ed. Baltimore (MD): Williams and Wilkins, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kendall FP, McCreary EK. Muscles: testing and function. 3rd ed. Baltimore (MD): Williams and Wilkins, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  10. Renström P, Peterson L. Groin injuries in athletes. Br J Sports Med 1980; 14: 30–6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Meyers WC, Ricciardi R, Busconi BD, et al. Groin pain in athletes. In: Arendt EA, editor. Orthopaedic knowledge update, sports medicine 2. Rosemont (IL): American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1999: 281–9

    Google Scholar 

  12. Speer KP, Lohnes J, Garrett WE. Radiographic imaging of muscle strain injury. Am J Sports Med 1993; 21 (1): 89–96

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Simonet WT, Saylor L, Sim L. Abdominal wall muscle tears in hockey players. Int J Sports Med 1998; 16 (2): 126–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Anderson K, Strickland SM, Warren R. Hip and groin injuries in athletes. Am J Sports Med 2001; 29 (4): 521–33

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Jorgenson U, Schmidt-Olsen S. The epidemiology of ice hockey injuries. Br J Sports Med 1986; 20 (1): 7–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Sim FH, Simonet WT, Malton JM, et al. Ice hockey injuries. Am J Sports Med 1987; 15 (1): 30–40

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Lorentzon R, Wedren H, Pietila T. Incidences, nature, and causes of ice hockey injuries: a three year prospective study of a Swedish elite ice hockey team. Am J Sports Med 1988; 16: 392–6

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Molsa J, Airaksinen O, Nasman O, et al. Ice hockey injuries in Finland: a prospective epidemiologic study. Am J Sports Med 1997; 25 (4): 495–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Knapik JJ, Bauman CL, Jones BH, et al. Preseason strength and flexibility imbalances associated with athletic injuries in female collegiate athletes. Am J Sports Med 1991; 19 (1): 76–81

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Orchard J, Marsden J, Lord S, et al. Preseason hamstring muscle weakness associated with hamstring muscle injury in Australian footballers. Am J Sports Med 1997; 25 (1): 495–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Emery CA, Meeuwisse WH. Risk factors for groin injuries in hockey. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001; 33 (9): 1423–33

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Seward H, Orchard J, Hazard H, et al. Football injuries in Australia at the elite level. Med J Aust 1993; 159: 298–301

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Tyler TF, Nicholas SJ, Campbell R, et al. The effectiveness of a preseason exercise program on the prevention of adductor strains in professional ice hockey players [abstract]. Presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM); 2001 Jun 28-Jul 1, Keystone (CO)

  24. Akermark C, Johansson C. Tenotomy of the adductor longus tendon in the treatment of chronic groin pain in athletes. Am J Sports Med 1992; 20 (6): 640–3

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timothy F. Tyler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nicholas, S.J., Tyler, T.F. Adductor Muscle Strains in Sport. Sports Med 32, 339–344 (2002). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200232050-00005

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200232050-00005

Keywords

Navigation