Pelvic Floor Symptom
Endometriosis Post-Op Pain
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
You had surgery to remove the endometriosis. Recovery went as expected, but the pain did not leave, or it changed, or it came back months later. Before assuming the disease has returned, it is worth looking at the pelvic floor, scar tissue and nerves. They are often the reason pain continues after a successful surgery.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Endometriosis Post-Op Pain
Excision or ablation surgery removes endometriosis lesions and can bring major relief. But many patients continue to have some pain afterward. Sometimes endometriosis remains or recurs, which your surgeon should evaluate.
Just as often, the pain comes from changes that surgery does not address. Years of endometriosis pain train the pelvic floor and abdominal wall to guard. Surgery adds incision scars and internal healing that can restrict movement. Nerves that were irritated for years stay sensitized. These factors can produce pain that feels just like endometriosis.
Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor, abdominal wall, scar tissue and nerve contributors after surgery, and coordinates closely with your endometriosis surgeon.
Endometriosis Post-Op Pain at a Glance
Also called
Pain after endometriosis surgery, post-excision pain
When it appears
Continues after surgery, changes in character, or returns later
Possible causes
Remaining or recurrent disease, pelvic floor guarding, scar tissue, nerve sensitization
When to start care
Usually six to eight weeks after surgery, once cleared
What Dr. Gordon addresses
Pelvic floor and abdominal guarding, scar tissue, nerve sensitivity
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
After surgery, ongoing pain is often assumed to be recurrence. Pelvic floor guarding and scar tissue are common and treatable causes.
What routine testing is looking for
- Remaining or recurrent endometriosis
- Surgical complications
- Adhesions
- Hormonal activity
What often keeps symptoms going
- Pelvic floor guarding that surgery did not reset
- Abdominal wall trigger points
- Incision and port site scar tissue
- Sensitized pelvic nerves
- Hip and low back tension
These are assessed gently once you are cleared after surgery.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Ongoing pelvic pain
Pain that did not fully resolve after surgery.
Pain that changed
Pain that is different in location or character.
Pain with sex
Deep pain during or after intercourse.
Incision or port site pain
Tenderness or pulling at incision sites.
Bowel or bladder pain
Pain with bowel movements or urination.
Pelvic floor tightness
Clenching or spasm in the pelvis.
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.
Pelvic floor guarding
The pelvic floor stays tight after years of pain.
Scar tissue
Surgical scars and internal healing restrict movement.
Abdominal wall trigger points
Trigger points mimic deep endometriosis pain.
Nerve sensitization
Nerves stay reactive after years of pain.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Endometriosis Post-Op Pain
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 surgical reports, pathology, hormonal treatment and recovery.
Scar and abdominal assessment
Gentle assessment of incision sites, abdominal wall, hips and low back.
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 and symptom review
Dr. Gordon maps how your pain has changed since surgery and through your cycle.
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 after surgery
- Redness, swelling or drainage at an incision
- Heavy vaginal bleeding
- Sudden, severe abdominal or pelvic pain
- Inability to urinate or pass stool
- 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 post-surgical endometriosis pain, chosen from your exam findings.
Primary approach
Intrapelvic & Extrapelvic Dry Needling
Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in both intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling. Treatment releases pelvic floor and abdominal guarding and works gently around surgical scars. 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 pathways to calm pelvic nerve sensitivity.
See servicesBetween visits
Recovery Plan & Team Coordination
A post-surgical plan coordinated with your endometriosis surgeon and pelvic floor PT.
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
"You can tell they really care about you as an individual and work together as a team to get you pain free. I always leave feeling better and rejuvenated. I know it's a work in progress to help patients with chronic pain."
Pam Glayzer, Google Review
Endometriosis Post-Op Pain Questions
Answers About Endometriosis Post-Op Pain
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
Not necessarily. Pelvic floor guarding, scar tissue and nerve sensitivity are common causes. Your surgeon can evaluate for recurrence.
Usually six to eight weeks after surgery, once cleared.
Yes, once healed and with care.
Addressing pelvic floor and nerve contributors can reduce ongoing pain, though it does not prevent disease recurrence.
Most people need eight to twelve sessions.
Yes. Dr. Gordon coordinates with your surgical team.
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 post-surgical endometriosis pain, 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 internal pelvic floor muscles, including the levator ani, obturator internus and coccygeus, to release trigger points and restore normal muscle function. 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, and nothing internal is done without your clear consent. 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 Endometriosis Post-Op Pain
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Further Reading
Endometriosis Pain After Surgery: Why It Can Continue
From the blog: Pain can continue after endometriosis surgery even when it went well. How guarding muscles, sensitive nerves and scar tissue can keep pain going.
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