Pelvic Floor Symptom
Feeling of Sitting on a Ball
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Every time you sit, it feels like there is a golf ball or tennis ball between your sit bones. You check, and nothing is there. It is worse on hard chairs and after long drives, and better when you stand. This strange sensation is one of the most recognizable signs of a tight pelvic floor or an irritated pudendal nerve, and it can be treated.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Feeling of Sitting on a Ball
People describe it in different ways: a golf ball, a tennis ball, a lump, a knot or a fist between the sit bones. The sensation is usually centered on the perineum, the area between the genitals and the anus, and sometimes the rectum. It is usually worse with sitting and eases when standing or lying down.
The perineal body, where several pelvic floor muscles meet, sits right where this sensation is felt. When those muscles are tight or hold trigger points, they create a feeling of a mass. The pudendal nerve, which supplies this area, can produce the same sensation when it is compressed. In men, the sensation is often blamed on the prostate. In women, it can be confused with prolapse.
Your physician should rule out a real mass, abscess, prolapse or prostate problem. When those are clear, Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor and nerve sources of the sensation.
Feeling of Sitting on a Ball at a Glance
How people describe it
A golf ball, tennis ball, lump, knot or fist between the sit bones
Where it is felt
Perineum, sometimes the rectum or behind the scrotum
Typical pattern
Worse sitting on hard surfaces or driving, better standing or lying down
Often mistaken for
Prostate problems, prolapse, hemorrhoids
Main drivers
Pelvic floor tension at the perineal body, pudendal nerve irritation
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
When exams find no lump, the sensation is often dismissed. The pelvic floor and pudendal nerve can create it on their own.
What routine testing is looking for
- A real mass or abscess
- Prostate enlargement or infection
- Prolapse
- Hemorrhoids
What often keeps symptoms going
- Tight muscles at the perineal body
- Levator ani and obturator internus trigger points
- Pudendal nerve compression
- Sitting pressure on the pelvic floor
- Hip and inner thigh tension
These are found with a pelvic floor and nerve assessment.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Ball or lump sensation
Feeling like you are sitting on an object.
Worse on hard chairs
The sensation intensifies on hard surfaces.
Worse driving
Long drives make it worse.
Better standing
Relief when you stand or lie down.
Perineal ache
A dull ache between the sit bones.
Urinary or bowel urgency
Urgency that comes with the sensation.
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.
Perineal body tension
Tight muscles where the pelvic floor meets create a mass-like sensation.
Trigger points
Levator ani and obturator internus trigger points refer pressure.
Pudendal nerve compression
Sitting compresses the pudendal nerve, which supplies the area.
Hip and inner thigh tension
Adductor and hip tension add load to the pelvic floor.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates the Feeling of Sitting on a Ball
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 physician's findings, imaging, medications and past treatments so he knows what has been ruled out and what has already been tried.
Pudendal nerve tracing
Dr. Gordon follows the nerve through the buttock and sit bone area.
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.
Sitting and cushion review
Dr. Gordon reviews sitting habits, driving and cushion use.
Plan and coordination
A clear plan, plus communication with your physician or pelvic floor PT when that helps your care.
When to see a physician first
- Fever or chills with pelvic or urinary symptoms
- Inability to urinate
- Visible blood in the urine or stool
- Sudden, severe pelvic or abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- 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 the feeling of sitting on a ball, 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 the muscles at the perineal body, levator ani and obturator internus that create the sensation. 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 pudendal nerve pathways to calm nerve irritation.
See servicesBetween visits
Sitting Plan & Team Coordination
Cushion and sitting guidance, coordinated with your physician or 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
"Dr. Gordon is a master of his craft...always listening to our symptoms and concerns and developing a customized and comprehensive plan to address the symptoms and the body as a whole so that it can work toward healing itself. Dr. Gordon is caring, compassionate and knowledgeable and truly has the best interest of his clients at heart."
Mo Dee, Google Review
Feeling of Sitting on a Ball Questions
Answers About Feeling of Sitting on a Ball
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
Your physician should check. When exams are clear, the sensation usually comes from muscle tension or nerve irritation.
It is often blamed on the prostate, but pelvic floor tension is a more common cause when tests are normal.
Driving combines sitting pressure with vibration and fixed posture.
A cushion that takes pressure off the center of the pelvis often helps.
Many people improve within six to ten sessions.
No. The pelvic floor is examined and treated from the outside. When the deep pelvic floor needs needling, the needles go in through the skin of the buttock, perineum or inner thigh, never through the vagina or rectum.
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. 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 the feeling of sitting on a ball, 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. The feeling of sitting on a ball can affect people of every gender, and Dr. Gordon treats adults of all genders and identities.
It helps to have had a medical workup so serious causes have been checked. If you have not seen a physician for your pelvic 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 Feeling of Sitting on a Ball
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