Pelvic Floor Condition
Adenomyosis
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Your periods are heavy and painful, cramps start before bleeding and last after it ends, and there is a deep pelvic heaviness that never quite goes away. Adenomyosis lives in the wall of the uterus, but its pain rarely stays there. Month after month of cramping trains the pelvic floor, abdomen and low back to tighten, and that tension becomes part of the problem.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Adenomyosis
Adenomyosis happens when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. During each cycle, that tissue swells and bleeds within the muscle, which can enlarge the uterus and cause heavy bleeding, strong cramping and a feeling of pressure. It is most common in the late thirties and forties and often occurs alongside endometriosis or fibroids.
The uterus shares nerve supply with the pelvic floor, lower abdomen and low back. Repeated intense cramping causes these areas to guard, and over time the pelvic floor can stay tight between periods. That leads to pain with intercourse, pelvic pressure, low back aching and bladder or bowel discomfort that is not directly from the uterus.
Your gynecologist manages adenomyosis with hormonal treatment, medications or procedures. Dr. Gordon treats the muscle and nerve patterns that build up around it, which can reduce the pain you feel both during and between periods.
Adenomyosis at a Glance
Who it affects
Women most often in their late thirties and forties, frequently after childbirth
Common symptoms
Heavy periods, severe cramping, pelvic pressure, pain with intercourse
Often seen with
Endometriosis and uterine fibroids
Typical medical care
Hormonal treatment, pain management, and procedures or hysterectomy when needed
What Dr. Gordon addresses
Pelvic floor tension, abdominal and low back guarding, pelvic nerve sensitivity
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Imaging and gynecologic care focus on the uterus, which is essential. The muscles and nerves that react to monthly pain are rarely examined, even though they often drive much of the discomfort between periods.
What routine testing is looking for
- Uterine wall thickening on ultrasound or MRI
- Fibroids or polyps
- Heavy bleeding and anemia
- Hormonal patterns
What often keeps symptoms going
- A pelvic floor that stays tight after each period
- Low back and sacral muscle guarding
- Abdominal wall trigger points
- Sensitized pelvic nerves
- Pain with intercourse from pelvic floor tension
These are found through hands-on assessment of the pelvic floor, abdomen and low back, which is how Dr. Gordon approaches adenomyosis pain.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Severe menstrual cramps
Cramping that starts before your period and can last after bleeding stops.
Heavy or prolonged bleeding
Periods that are heavier or longer than they used to be.
Pelvic heaviness or pressure
A dragging, full feeling in the lower abdomen or pelvis.
Pain with intercourse
Deep pain during or after sex.
Low back and thigh aching
Pain that radiates to the low back, buttocks or upper thighs around your period.
Pain between periods
Pelvic discomfort that lingers through the month.
Root Causes
The Four Drivers Dr. Gordon Looks For
Most people have more than one of these in play. Finding which one leads makes treatment more efficient.
Adenomyosis in the uterine wall
Tissue within the uterine muscle causes cramping and bleeding. Your gynecologist manages this part.
Pelvic floor guarding
Repeated cramping trains the pelvic floor to tighten, and it can stay tight between periods.
Low back and abdominal muscles
Shared nerve supply means uterine pain often shows up as low back and abdominal muscle tension and trigger points.
Nerve sensitization
Monthly pain over years makes pelvic nerves more reactive, increasing pain intensity and spread.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Adenomyosis
The initial evaluation runs 60 to 75 minutes. You leave with a clear picture of what is driving your symptoms, a written plan, a realistic timeline, and in most cases your first treatment.
Records and history review
Dr. Gordon reviews your gynecologist's findings, imaging, medications and past treatments so he knows what has been ruled out and what has already been tried.
Abdominal and low back assessment
Assessment of the abdominal wall, low back, sacrum and hips for guarding and trigger points.
External pelvic floor assessment
The pelvic floor muscles are examined from the outside, with no internal exam. With you draped for comfort, gentle pressure around the perineum, sit bones, tailbone and inner thighs checks tone, tenderness and trigger points.
Cycle pattern review
Dr. Gordon maps your symptoms through your cycle to understand which pain is uterine and which is muscular.
Plan and coordination
A clear plan, plus communication with your gynecologist or pelvic floor PT when that helps your care.
When to see a physician first
- Fever or chills with pelvic pain
- Unusual discharge, sores or lesions
- Bleeding after menopause, or bleeding heavy enough to soak a pad or tampon every hour
- Sudden, severe pelvic or abdominal pain
- Possible pregnancy with new pelvic pain
- New numbness in the saddle area or loss of bladder or bowel control
If you have any of these, contact your doctor or go to the nearest emergency department.
Bring to your first visit
Records
Recent lab results, imaging reports and specialist notes. These can also be faxed ahead.
Treatment history
A short list of what you have tried and what did or did not help.
Clothing
Something comfortable and loose fitting.
Treatment
How Dr. Gordon Treats It
These are the tools Dr. Gordon uses most often for adenomyosis, chosen from your exam findings.
Primary approach
Intrapelvic & Extrapelvic Dry Needling
Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in both intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling. Treatment addresses pelvic floor, abdominal and low back muscles that tighten around monthly pain. The needles go in through the skin of the buttock, perineum or inner thigh, never through the vagina or rectum.
Learn about pelvic floor treatmentNerve focus
Neuro-Functional Acupuncture
Electro-acupuncture along sacral and lumbar nerve pathways to calm pelvic nerve sensitivity and help reduce cramping pain.
See servicesBetween visits
Cycle Plan & Team Coordination
A plan that accounts for your cycle, with flare strategies and coordination with your gynecologist.
Referring provider? Contact the clinicWhat to Expect
A Typical Recovery Arc
Visits 1 to 3
Find the main driver
Dr. Gordon confirms which muscles and nerves are behind your symptoms and starts calming the most reactive areas. Many people notice early changes between visits.
Visits 4 to 8
Lower the baseline
Day-to-day symptoms ease, flares become shorter and less frequent, and normal routines start to feel more manageable.
Visits 9 to 12 and beyond
Build resilience
Visits are spaced out as improvement holds. You leave with a maintenance and early-flare plan.
Most patients are seen weekly or every other week during active care. Individual results vary with how long symptoms have been present and how reactive they are. Progress is reassessed at every visit.
Not sure how to describe it? Put your pain or discomfort into words before your visit
"Dr. Gordon is thoughtful, thorough and incredibly knowledgeable. He has significantly helped me with pain management and pelvic floor issues. I am grateful to have his expertise in my corner."
Dina Isola, Google Review
Adenomyosis Questions
Answers About Adenomyosis
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
No. The condition itself is managed by your gynecologist. Dr. Gordon treats the muscle and nerve contributors to your pain.
Monthly cramping can leave the pelvic floor, abdomen and low back tight all month. Those muscles produce pain of their own between periods.
They are related. Adenomyosis is within the uterine wall, while endometriosis is outside the uterus. Many people have both.
Many patients benefit from visits timed before their period. Dr. Gordon plans timing with you.
Most people start with eight to twelve sessions, then continue with periodic visits around their cycle if helpful.
Often. Pain with intercourse frequently involves pelvic floor tension, which Dr. Gordon can treat directly.
Before You Book
General Questions
The clinic is an out-of-network practice. The initial evaluation is $300 and follow-up visits are $250. After each visit you receive a detailed superbill to submit to your PPO plan for possible reimbursement. FSA and HSA cards are accepted, and the clinic can run a complimentary benefits check before your first appointment. The check is a courtesy, so please confirm your coverage with your plan. See Insurance & Fees for details.
The first evaluation is 60 to 75 minutes and usually includes treatment. Follow-up visits run 45 to 60 minutes.
Yes. Call (516) 597-5400 or send a message through the contact page. This is especially helpful if your case is complex and you want to understand the approach before committing to a full evaluation.
1508 Union Turnpike, Suite 133, North New Hyde Park, NY 11040, with free parking on site. The clinic is an easy drive from Manhasset, Great Neck, Garden City, Lake Success, Floral Park and Mineola. Early morning, evening and weekend hours are available.
Most people feel a quick muscle twitch or a deep ache that lasts a few seconds. That twitch is a normal sign the trigger point is releasing. Mild soreness for 24 to 48 hours afterward, similar to a hard workout, is common. Depth, angle and stimulation are adjusted to your comfort.
Both use the same fine, sterile, single-use needles. Dry needling targets specific trigger points and tight bands in muscle based on your exam. Neuro-functional acupuncture targets nerve pathways, often with gentle electrical stimulation, to calm nerve sensitivity. For adenomyosis, Dr. Gordon commonly uses both.
When performed by a trained, licensed provider with detailed knowledge of anatomy, it has a strong safety record. Tell Dr. Gordon if you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant or have a weakened immune system so he can plan accordingly.
It is a technique that reaches the deep pelvic floor muscles, including the levator ani, obturator internus and coccygeus, to release trigger points and restore normal muscle function. The needles go in through the skin of the buttock, perineum or inner thigh, never through the vagina or rectum. Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in this technique, which few practitioners in New York have.
Yes. Your privacy and comfort come first. When undressing is needed for the area being treated, you are fully draped. Needles are placed through the skin only, and nothing is ever inserted into the vagina or rectum. You can pause or stop at any time.
Yes. Many of Dr. Gordon's pelvic floor patients come to him after difficult experiences elsewhere. Every step is explained before it happens, you set the pace, and Dr. Gordon treats adults of all genders and identities in a respectful, welcoming setting.
It helps to have had a medical workup so serious causes have been checked. If you have not seen a gynecologist for these symptoms yet, call the clinic to talk through the best order of steps.
About Dr. Anthony J. Gordon
Dr. Anthony J. Gordon is a Doctor of Acupuncture licensed in New York and board certified. He holds ASE certification in intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling, along with advanced certifications in Functional Dry Needling and Neuro-Functional Acupuncture. With more than 18 years of clinical experience and over 3,000 complex cases treated, he focuses on pelvic, spinal and orthopedic conditions that have not responded to standard care, and works closely with each patient's physicians and physical therapists.
Read Dr. Gordon's full bioBook an Evaluation for Adenomyosis
Book a full evaluation with Dr. Gordon and find out how much of your adenomyosis pain comes from the muscles and nerves around the uterus.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.
Symptoms
Common Symptoms of Adenomyosis
Further Reading
Adenomyosis: Pain, Pressure and What Helps Alongside Medical Care
From the blog: Adenomyosis grows into the wall of the uterus and can cause heavy, painful periods. How it differs from endometriosis, and the muscle side of the pain.
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