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Adductor magnus muscle

The adductor magnus is the largest and most powerful muscle of the medial thigh. It occupies a deep position, extending along the medial femur. It has two functional parts: the adductor part and the hamstring part, which differ in origin, insertion, and innervation. This dual nature makes it clinically and radiologically significant.

Synonyms

  • Great adductor muscle

  • Medial femoral adductor (magnus)

  • Magnus of the medial thigh

Origin, Course, and Insertion

  • Origin:

    • Adductor part: Inferior ramus of the pubis and ramus of the ischium

    • Hamstring part: Ischial tuberosity

  • Course:

    • Fibers of the adductor part run obliquely downward and laterally along the medial femur.

    • Fibers of the hamstring part run almost vertically downward from the ischial tuberosity.

    • A distinct adductor hiatus is present between insertions, through which the femoral vessels pass to become the popliteal vessels.

  • Insertion:

    • Adductor part: Gluteal tuberosity, linea aspera, and medial supracondylar line of femur

    • Hamstring part: Adductor tubercle of the medial condyle of the femur

Nerve Supply

  • Adductor part: Obturator nerve (posterior division, L2–L4)

  • Hamstring part: Tibial division of the sciatic nerve (L4)

Arterial Supply

  • Obturator artery

  • Medial circumflex femoral artery

  • Deep femoral (profunda femoris) artery

  • Popliteal artery (distal contribution near adductor hiatus)

Venous Drainage

  • Venous blood drains into the obturator vein, profunda femoris vein, and femoral vein

Function

  • Powerful adduction of the thigh

  • Assists in extension of the thigh (hamstring part)

  • Assists in flexion of the thigh (adductor part)

  • Provides stabilization of pelvis and femur during weight bearing

MRI Appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Muscle shows low-to-intermediate signal intensity

  • Fatty streaks or infiltration within fibers may show high signal intensity

  • Chronic atrophy may display diffuse high signal intensity

T2-weighted images:

  • Muscle demonstrates low-to-intermediate signal intensity

  • Acute injury, edema, or inflammation appears with bright signal intensity

  • Chronic scarring appears with persistently dark signal intensity

STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery):

  • Muscle has low-to-intermediate baseline signal intensity

  • Edema, strain, or inflammatory changes appear as bright signal intensity

Proton Density Fat-Sat (PD FS):

  • Normal muscle demonstrates low-to-intermediate signal intensity

  • Injury or pathology demonstrates localized or diffuse bright signal intensity

T1 Fat-Sat Post-Contrast:

  • Normal muscle enhances mildly and homogeneously

  • Pathological muscle shows heterogeneous or rim enhancement depending on the lesion

CT Appearance

Non-Contrast CT:

  • Muscle appears as soft tissue density with homogeneous appearance

  • Acute hematoma may appear as a denser region within the muscle

  • Chronic changes may show fatty replacement with areas of low attenuation

Post-Contrast CT:

  • Muscle shows mild homogeneous enhancement

  • Inflammatory and neoplastic processes show more intense or irregular enhancement

  • Abscess or necrosis appears as central low density with peripheral rim enhancement

MRI image

Adductor magnus muscle MRI axial anatomy image-img-00000-00000

CT image

Adductor magnus muscle CT axial anatomy image-img-00000-00000

CT image

Adductor magnus muscle ct coronal

MRI image

Adductor magnus muscle MRI coronal anatomy image-img-00000-00000