Inner thighs - The Hidden Link: How Your Adductors Connect to Your Pelvic Floor
When we think about the pelvic floor, it’s easy to imagine it as a standalone set of muscles at the base of our pelvis, quietly supporting us without much help from the rest of the body. But here’s the thing: the pelvic floor is part of a much bigger team! Today, I want to discuss one of its lesser-known team mates—the adductors, those inner thigh muscles that don’t always get the attention they deserve.
If you’ve ever experienced pelvic floor dysfunction, whether it’s leaking, heaviness, or tension, understanding the connection between these two areas can be a game-changer.
The Adductors: More Than Inner Thigh Muscles
Your adductors are responsible for pulling your legs together and creating stability in your pelvis. They’re super active in activities like walking, running, or even squeezing your knees together when holding something. What’s fascinating is that these muscles share fascial and neurological connections with the pelvic floor.
When your adductors activate, they influence the tension and responsiveness of your pelvic floor. If your adductors are tight or overactive, this can create a knock-on effect, leading to increased tension in the pelvic floor. Conversely, weak or underactive adductors might leave the pelvic floor without the support it needs to function optimally.
Why This Connection Matters
For women dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction, the relationship between these two areas can offer clues to what has perhaps caused the symptoms and potential ways to kick start healing. Let’s dive deeper…
1. Overactive Adductors
If our adductors are chronically tight (maybe you’re a yoga lover who loves squeezing blocks between your thighs or a cyclist logging serious miles). Over time, that tightness can pull on the pelvis and create excessive tension in the pelvic floor. This might lead to symptoms like pain during intimacy, feelings of heaviness, or even constipation.
2. Under active Adductors
Under active or weak adductors might struggle to create stability in the pelvis effectively. This can contribute to a feeling of instability or weakness in the pelvic floor, leading to issues like leaking or difficulty engaging the pelvic floor muscles when you need them most (like during exercise, sneezing or laughing).
The Role of Breath
As I am always saying Breathing is one of the core movers and shakers (literally) of pelvic floor health, and it’s deeply tied to both the adductors and pelvic floor. When you take a deep, diaphragmatic breath, your pelvic floor naturally responds by lengthening and relaxing (not strictly relaxing - but good for visualisation). This release also impacts the adductors, helping them let go of unnecessary tension.
Breath-work can be a powerful tool for re-establishing this connection. By combining intentional breathing with gentle adductor engagement or stretching, you can retrain your body to work in harmony.
Simple Practices to Try
If you’re curious about exploring this connection, here are a couple of exercises you can try:
1. Supported Adductor Stretch with Breath
- Sit on the floor with your back against a wall. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open.
- Wrap your hands around your rib cage at the sides and take slow, deep breaths, feeling your pelvic floor soften as you inhale.
- Stay here for 2–3 minutes, allowing your adductors to relax with each exhale.
2. Gentle Squeeze-and-Release
- Sit on a chair with a small, soft ball or pillow between your knees.
- Inhale deeply, letting your pelvic floor relax.
- As you exhale, gently squeeze the ball or pillow, engaging your adductors.
- Repeat 10 times, focusing on a smooth connection between breath and movement.
Highlight
The body is a beautifully interconnected system, and the adductors and pelvic floor are just one example of how no muscle works in isolation. If you’ve been struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction, don’t underestimate the power of your inner thighs! By bringing awareness to this connection and incorporating gentle, mindful practices, you can create greater balance and support for your body.
I’d love to hear your thoughts—have you noticed how your adductors impact your pelvic floor? Let’s chat in the comments!
”As always, consult with a healthcare professional or pelvic floor specialist before starting any new exercises, especially if you’re dealing with pain or specific pelvic health concerns.”
