The adductor brevis is the smallest and most superior of the three short adductors (with adductor longus and magnus), lying between the obturator externus deep and the pectineus and adductor longus superficially. The obturator nerve passes through the adductor compartment with its anterior branch anterior to the adductor brevis and its posterior branch posterior to it, making adductor brevis the anatomical landmark for the obturator nerve branches.
| Origin | Body and inferior ramus of the pubis (below adductor longus origin) |
|---|---|
| Insertion | Upper third of the linea aspera and the pectineal line of the femur |
| Nerve Supply | Anterior branch of the obturator nerve (L2, L3) |
| Blood Supply | Medial circumflex femoral artery |
| Actions | Adduction of the hip; Flexion of the hip (minor) |
|---|
The adductor brevis provides the initial hip adduction force at the beginning of the adduction range, with the longer adductors (longus and magnus) becoming progressively more important as the hip moves through full adduction.
Adductor brevis tears from eccentric overloading produce proximal medial thigh pain reproduced by resisted adduction. The adductor brevis is also involved in sports hernia (athletic pubalgia) where pubic symphysis stress from the conjoint adductor-rectus abdominis origin produces chronic groin pain.
The adductor brevis is palpable in the proximal medial thigh between the adductor longus and the pectineus during resisted hip adduction.
Proximal medial thigh tear from eccentric adductor loading producing groin pain managed with progressive adductor strengthening.
