What nerve is primarily responsible for hip adduction?

The obturator nerve is the primary nerve responsible for hip adduction. This nerve innervates the adductor muscles of the thigh, which include the adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and gracilis. These muscles play a crucial role in bringing the legs together, effectively performing the movement of hip adduction.

Understanding the function of the obturator nerve is essential in recognizing how impairment or injury to this nerve can affect the ability to perform hip adduction. The other nerves mentioned in the options have distinct roles: for instance, the femoral nerve primarily innervates the quadriceps muscle which is responsible for knee extension, the inferior gluteal nerve innervates the gluteus maximus which is involved in hip extension and external rotation, and the superior gluteal nerve innervates the gluteus medius and minimus which are important for hip abduction and stabilization during walking.