Adductor/Groin Muscle


  1. Immediately after injury  (for swelling and pain)
  3. Techniques to help improve strength + function

In this post, we’ re going to be talking about a taping application designed to decrease the amount of pull along the inside of thigh where the adductors are located. This is perfect following an inner thigh/groin strain to provide support and allow for rest so that the injured muscle/tendon can heal.


There are three different adductor muscles (brevis, longus and magnus). They all share a common tendon that inserts onto the pubic bone and each then moves down the leg to insert on the femur (large, upper leg bone). To accurately tape these muscles you will need to be able to find them. Start by locating the common tendon. To do so, start by following the groin line (the white line in the picture above and the crease between hip and thigh) down and towards your pubic bone. As you do so, move your leg in and out from mid-line. You will feel the large common tendon as you move your leg in (it feels like a giant rope and is hard to miss!). From this common tendon you can follow the muscles as they move down the thigh. You can read more about the anatomy and surrounding muscles here.

What you will need:

1) Roll of kinesiology tape.

2) Sharpest scissors in the house.

Prep work:





Taping Techniques

1) Inhibition technique for adductor muscle with correction strip.

Key Points:

  • Prep the skin first. For this application you will want to put the adductor muscles on stretch. To do this pull your knee up so that your foot is flat on the floor. Then drop your knee down to the side as shown in the video. Only move as far as you can comfortably.
  • The primary strip will be anchored just below the pubic bone on the common adductor tendon. From here, position your leg to put the muscle on stretch and then apply the tape. The tape works by pulling on itself and you have already put the muscle on stretch to do the work for you. If you are unable to move the muscle into this position, you may add a small amount of stretch to the tape.
  • A secondary correction strip can be applied to any specific sore spots. Cut the tape so that it is long enough to cover the painful area with 1-2″ of tape on either side (these are your anchors and must be applied without stretch). Round the edges, apply 50-75% stretch and place the tape. Then remove the paper backing and lay down the ends. Don’t sweat the 50-75%. Think medium stretch versus maximum “how far can I pull this tape” kind of stretch.
  • See the video above for full details.
  • For further instructions on how to incorporate kinesiology taping into your self treatment regimen click here.




