Foam Rolling Your Adductors
If you’ve got tight adductors or groin pain that won’t go away, stretching might not be enough.
That’s why I wrote this guide for foam rolling your adductors.
In it, you’ll learn:
- Why foam rolling works
- Exactly how to do it
- How to combine it with other techniques for long-term relief.
Why Foam Rolling the Adductors Works
The adductor muscles — especially the adductor longus and magnus — can develop deep knots and adhesions due to their size.
Adductors aren’t as active as other muscle groups, like the quad muscles, but they are always stabilizing and being used in everyday movement which is exactly why foam rolling is needed.
Foam rolling will teach the muscle to relax so it can be stretched, as well as breaking up the adhesions in the fascia and increasing blood flow to the area to restore the tissue.
Foam rolling your adductors is especially helpful before doing groin stretches. A lot of times, people with knee or hip pain just have tight adductors.
So give this protocol a try!
How to Foam Roll Your Inner Thighs (Step-by-Step)
Equipment You’ll Need:
All you need is a standard foam roller (sometimes I like to use a large pvc pipe) and a soft floor surface, because hard floors will be annoying on your resting knee.
Step 1: Find the aggravated area
- Lie face-down on the floor with one leg extended to the side at about 90 degrees.
- Place the foam roller under the inner thigh of the extended leg — near your knee, but avoid the hard bony areas.
It’s important to stay on the muscle and not roll over any bones! - Use your forearms for support and roll slowly up towards your hip.
Pro tip: As you roll up your leg, pay attention to the different pain levels in different positions. It helps to rock side to side as well! (see video)
Once you do this, you’ll know where your weak points are as well as where to spend time applying pressure or switching to a trigger point ball.
Rolling Techniques:
- Slowly roll from mid-thigh toward the groin, pausing on any tender areas for 30 seconds.
- Rotate your leg slightly inward and outward to hit different angles of the adductor.
- Hold pressure on tight spots for 20–30 seconds until the intensity lessens.
Once you’ve rolled well, get up and follow an inner thigh stretch using my adductor stretch guide.
This helps reinforce the release and integrates the muscle into a healthier movement pattern.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Going too fast — Foam rolling isn’t a race. Moving slowly helps your nervous system relax and allows deeper release.
Rolling on joints or bones – Avoid placing pressure on your knee or groin itself — stay on the muscle belly.
Overdoing it – If it feels like a 9/10 on the pain scale, back off. Foam rolling should be uncomfortable but not unbearable. Keep it between a 4 and 7.
Should You Use a Massage Ball Instead?
Foam rollers are great for general tension, but for trigger points in the adductor magnus or longus, a massage ball can help you get more targeted pressure.
I’ve found that adductors are more sensitive than other muscle groups, so using a softer and larger ball with more surface area is best.
Pair this with my Ultimate Trigger Point Guide to release other connected areas for the best relief.
Who Shouldn’t Foam Roll the Groin?
Important Note:
If you have a recent groin strain or tear, heavy bruising or get shooting pains when attempting any of these techniques, you should get some professional help.
When in doubt, talk to your doctor.
What’s Next?
Foam rolling your inner thighs can be a game-changer if you’re struggling with groin tightness.
But it doesn’t end there. If your adductors are tight, you probably have an issue with other muscle groups too.
Learn more about how to release trigger points in every area of the body for even deeper relief.
Or learn how to stretch every area of your body so you feel better than you ever have.
Good Luck!
-Nick