Pain guide · Hip pain

Groin strain and adductor pain: the exercises with the best evidence

Pain at the inner thigh or pubic bone, worse with kicking, sprinting, cutting and squeezing the knees together. In sport, the adductors are the most common source.

Rule out the things exercise will not fix: a hernia (a lump or pain with coughing), hip joint problems, and stress fractures in runners.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 8 sourcesUpdated 14 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Severe hip pain after a fall or injury, or you cannot stand, walk or put weight on the leg. In an older adult this can be a broken hip; the leg may look shorter or turned outward.
Tingling or loss of feeling in the hip or leg after an injury.
Buttock or leg pain with numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or weakness or numbness in both legs.
A hot, swollen hip, or hip pain with a fever or feeling generally unwell (a possible joint infection).

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Hip pain that stops normal activities or disturbs sleep, keeps getting worse, or has not improved after 2 weeks of looking after it at home.
Pain that builds with running and hurts to hop on (a stress fracture can look normal on an early X-ray).
A lump in the groin, or groin pain with coughing or straining (a possible hernia).

Understand it

Groin pain has four defined muscle and tendon typesStrong evidence

The Doha agreement sorts groin pain in athletes into adductor-related, iliopsoas-related, inguinal-related and pubic-related groin pain, plus hip-related and other causes, based on the history and examination.

Source 2

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Active strengthening beat passive treatmentEmerging evidence

In a Lancet trial of 68 athletes with long-standing adductor-related groin pain, an 8 to 12 week programme of strength and coordination training for the muscles round the pelvis returned 23 to sport without pain, against 4 with physiotherapy without active training.

Source 3

One exercise cut groin problems by 41%Emerging evidence

In 35 semi-professional football teams, a programme built on the Copenhagen adduction exercise, three times a week in pre-season and once a week in season, lowered the risk of groin problems by 41%. The players were all men.

Source 4

It builds adductor strength fastEmerging evidence

Eight weeks of the Copenhagen adduction exercise raised eccentric adductor strength by about 36% in young footballers, with little soreness.

Source 5

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

The 5 out of 10 ruleEmerging evidence

During the exercise, pain up to about 5 out of 10 is acceptable. It should settle within an hour or so, and your hip should be no worse that night or the next morning. If it is, do less next time (fewer repetitions, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing.

Pain can go up a little when you start a new exercise programme; guidelines for arthritis say so and still recommend keeping going. If pain climbs week after week, or a warning sign appears, stop and get it checked.

Sources 8, 6, 7

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Settle: squeeze and support

Keep pain at 3 out of 10 or less.

Lying adductor ball squeeze demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions

5 to 10 holds of 5 to 10 s

Harder: Copenhagen plank

Glute bridge demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 10

Easier: Pelvic tilt into bridge · Harder: Glute kickback (quadruped hip extension)

Knee side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment

3 holds of 15 to 20 s each side

Harder: Side plank

Move on when: The squeeze is pain-free at a firm effort.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Build: adductors and abductors under load

Three times a week.

Standing band hip adduction demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStanding band hip adductionBeginner · A band + An anchor point

3 sets of 10 to 12 each side

Harder: Copenhagen plank

Standing band hip abduction demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStanding band hip abductionBeginner · A band + An anchor point

3 sets of 10 to 12 each side · A standing band hip abduction, for balance

Easier: Hip abduction machine · Harder: Side-lying leg raise

Split squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment

3 sets of 8 each side

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Reverse lunge

Cossack squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoCossack squatIntermediate · No equipment

2 sets of 5 each side, only as deep as is comfortable

Easier: Sit squat (partial squat)

Move on when: Side-to-side work and squeezing the knees together are comfortable.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Strengthen and return to play

Copenhagen work three times a week, then once a week to keep the benefit.

Copenhagen plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoCopenhagen plankAdvanced · A bench or box

Short lever (knee on the bench) first; small sets · Expect some soreness for a fortnight

Easier: Hip adduction machine

Lateral Bound demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLateral BoundBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 5 each side, low and controlled

Harder: Lateral cone hops

3D demoLateral BoundBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 5 each side

Harder: Lateral cone hops

3D demoSkippingBeginner · No equipment

Short blocks, then sprints

Harder: Alternate-leg bounding

Move on when: Sprinting, cutting and kicking are pain-free at full effort.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Should I stretch a groin strain?

Gentle stretching is fine once it no longer hurts to, but the trials that worked were built on strengthening. Do not push into a painful stretch early on.

When can I play again?

When sprinting, cutting, kicking and the Copenhagen plank are pain-free at full effort, and your strength is similar on both sides.

Is the Copenhagen plank safe?

It is demanding: start with the knee on the bench (a short lever), use small sets and expect some soreness at first. Avoid it while the groin is acutely painful.

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.