Muscle · Lower limb
Adductor brevis: origin, insertion, action and innervation
The adductor brevis runs from the pubis to the upper linea aspera of the femur. It adducts the hip and is supplied by the obturator nerve, anterior branch.
Quick answer
- Latin name
- Musculus adductor brevis
- Origin
- Body and inferior ramus of the pubis, on the hip bone
- Insertion
- Lower part of the pectineal line and upper part of the medial lip of the linea aspera of the femur
- Action
- Adducts the hip; helps flex the thigh
- Innervation
- Obturator nerve, anterior branch (L2-L4)
- Blood supply
- Deep femoral artery, medial circumflex femoral artery and obturator artery
See it on the 3D body
The adductor brevis lit on the 3D hip and thigh, as in the hip and thigh quiz. Turn the body, peel the layers, tap any structure for its name.
The adductor brevis is a short, triangular muscle of the inner thigh that runs from the pubis to the back of the upper femur. It pulls the thigh toward the midline and is supplied by the anterior branch of the obturator nerve (L2-L4).
Where it is
The adductor brevis belongs to the medial compartment of the thigh, the adductor group. The adductors are stacked in layers from front to back, and the adductor brevis is the middle layer:
- In front of it lie the pectineus and the adductor longus.
- Behind it lies the large adductor magnus.
This sandwich matters because the two branches of the obturator nerve use the adductor brevis as a landmark. The anterior branch runs on the front of the muscle, between it and the adductor longus. The posterior branch runs behind it, on the adductor magnus. If you remove the adductor longus in a dissection, the anterior branch is the first nerve you see lying on the adductor brevis.
The muscle is hidden from the surface. You cannot feel it apart from the other adductors. See the whole group on muscles of the thigh.
Origin and insertion
- Origin: the outer surface of the body and inferior ramus of the pubis, on the hip bone, just below the origin of the adductor longus.
- Insertion: the lower part of the pectineal line and the upper part of the medial lip of the linea aspera, the rough ridge down the back of the femur.
The muscle widens as it descends, so it looks like a fan with its handle at the pubis. Its insertion lies behind the pectineus and above the insertion of the adductor longus.
What it does
- Adduction of the hip: it draws the thigh toward the midline, as when you squeeze your knees together or bring a leg back after stepping sideways.
- Flexion of the thigh: because its origin lies in front of the hip joint, it can help raise the thigh forward, a minor role next to the iliopsoas.
- Balancing the abductors: with the other adductors, it works against the gluteus medius and minimus on the outer side of the hip, which helps control the thigh and pelvis during walking.
The adductor group is what grips a saddle when riding, or sweeps the leg across the body for an inside-foot pass.
Innervation and blood supply
The adductor brevis is supplied by the obturator nerve (L2-L4), which leaves the pelvis through the obturator foramen and splits into two branches. The quiz answer is the anterior branch, which runs over the front of the muscle. The posterior branch may also send it a small twig.
Its blood comes mainly from the deep femoral artery (profunda femoris), with help from the medial circumflex femoral artery and the obturator artery.
How to remember it
- "Brevis is the filling": picture a sandwich of adductors. Longus is the top slice, brevis is the filling, magnus is the bottom slice.
- Nerve branches by position: the anterior branch of the obturator nerve is in front of the brevis, the posterior branch is behind it. The muscle is the divider.
- Brevis means short: it is shorter than the longus and far smaller than the magnus, and it stops on the upper third of the femur.
- Obturator nerve only: the pectineus usually gets the femoral nerve and the adductor magnus also gets the tibial nerve, but the adductor brevis is supplied by the obturator nerve alone.
Test yourself in the hip and thigh quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What is the action of the adductor brevis?
It adducts the thigh at the hip and helps flex it. It also helps control the thigh and pelvis during walking.
What nerve supplies the adductor brevis?
The obturator nerve, mainly its anterior branch, from roots L2 to L4.
Where does the adductor brevis insert?
On the lower pectineal line and the upper part of the linea aspera of the femur, behind the pectineus.
Is the adductor brevis in front of or behind the adductor longus?
Behind it. The adductor brevis is the middle layer, between the adductor longus in front and the adductor magnus behind.
