The butterfly stretch is a seated stretch for the muscles along your inner thighs (hip adductors). You sit with the soles of your feet together, let your knees drop out to the sides, and use your elbows to press them gently toward the floor. It is part of many hip and groin programs and general flexibility routines.

How to do the butterfly stretch

Sit on a mat with your legs straight out in front of you, then bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together.
Hold your feet or ankles with your hands and draw your heels in toward you as far as is comfortable. Let your knees drop out to the sides.
Sit tall, as if the top of your head is being lifted, rather than slumping forward.
Rest your elbows on your inner thighs, just above the knees rather than on the knee joints, and press down gently, just until you feel a stretch along your inner thighs.
Hold the stretch and breathe normally, then ease off the pressure and slowly straighten your legs.

What you should feel

A gentle to moderate pull along the inside of both thighs, sometimes up toward the groin. It should ease a little as you hold it.

Common mistakes

Bouncing the knees up and down.
Pressing hard enough to cause sharp pain in the groin or knees.
Rounding your back and slumping.
Holding your breath.

How often

Many programs use holds of 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp or pinching pain in the groin or the front of the hip.
Pain in or around the knees.
Pain spreads into the lower back or down the leg, or you get numbness or tingling.

From the clinic

Your knees do not need to reach the floor. How far they drop varies a lot from person to person, so do not force them down to match anyone else. Heels close to your body give a stronger stretch, while moving your feet farther away makes it easier on the hips and knees. If sitting upright on the floor is hard, sit with your back against a wall or on a folded towel to lift your hips a little. To strengthen the same inner thigh muscles, see side lying hip adduction.

If you have had a hip replacement or other hip surgery, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the butterfly stretch. Getting down to the floor and back up bends the hip well past a right angle, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. The stretch also turns the thigh outward, which some operations limit in that time too. If you have a recent groin strain, ask your physio when to start stretching and how hard to press.

Pregnant, with pain at the front or back of your pelvis? Do not press your knees down with your elbows. Keep your knees only as far apart as feels comfortable, or leave this stretch out until you have checked with your physio.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Butterfly stretch