Pelvic Joint Condition
Pelvic Girdle Pain
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
The pain sits deep in your buttocks near the dimples of your low back, at the front of your pelvis, or both. It builds with standing, walking and stairs, and turning in bed is a production. Pelvic girdle pain is about how your pelvis carries load, and the muscles that stabilize it, including the pelvic floor, are central to treating it.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Pelvic Girdle Pain
The pelvic girdle is the ring of bones made up of the two hip bones and the sacrum, connected by the two sacroiliac joints at the back and the pubic symphysis at the front. It transfers the weight of your upper body to your legs with every step.
Pelvic girdle pain is pain in this ring, most often felt at the sacroiliac joints, in the buttocks, or over the pubic bone. It is very common during pregnancy and after childbirth, but it also affects people after falls, sports injuries or long periods of asymmetric loading. Typical triggers include standing on one leg, walking, stairs, turning in bed and long periods of sitting or standing.
Stability of the pelvis depends on the pelvic floor, deep abdominals, gluteal muscles and hip rotators working together. When some are guarded and others are underactive, load transfers poorly. Dr. Gordon treats the muscles that are overworking, including the pelvic floor, and coordinates with your PT for strengthening.
Pelvic Girdle Pain at a Glance
Also called
PGP, sacroiliac joint pain, pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain
Where it is felt
Buttocks near the low back dimples, back of the pelvis, groin, pubic bone, back of the thigh
Who it affects
Pregnant and postpartum women, athletes, people after falls or asymmetric strain
Common aggravators
Walking, stairs, standing on one leg, turning in bed, prolonged sitting or standing
Main drivers
Poor load transfer, gluteal and deep hip tension, pelvic floor guarding, core coordination
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Imaging of the spine and pelvis often looks normal. The problem is usually how muscles control the pelvic ring, which does not show on a scan.
What routine testing is looking for
- Disc herniation or spinal problems
- Arthritis or fractures
- Inflammatory joint disease
- Hip joint damage
What often keeps symptoms going
- Gluteal and deep hip rotator tension
- Pelvic floor guarding that alters pelvic stability
- Poor coordination between core and pelvic floor
- Asymmetric sacroiliac joint loading
- Adductor and abdominal imbalance
These are assessed with hands-on and load testing, which is how Dr. Gordon approaches pelvic girdle pain.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Buttock or low back pain
Pain near the dimples of the low back or deep in the buttock.
Pain with walking and stairs
Pain that increases with walking distance or climbing stairs.
Pain turning in bed
Sharp or aching pain when rolling over.
Pain standing on one leg
Pain when dressing, getting out of a car or stepping up.
Front of pelvis pain
Pain over the pubic bone or in the groin.
Catching or giving way
A feeling of the pelvis catching or the leg giving way.
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.
Poor load transfer
When the pelvis cannot stabilize well, load concentrates on the sacroiliac joints or pubic symphysis.
Gluteal and deep hip tension
Overworked gluteal and hip rotator muscles develop trigger points that refer to the buttock and pelvis.
Pelvic floor guarding
The pelvic floor contributes to pelvic stability. Guarding changes how it supports the ring.
Core coordination
The diaphragm, deep abdominals and pelvic floor must work together to stabilize the pelvis.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Pelvic Girdle 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 physician's findings, imaging, medications and past treatments so he knows what has been ruled out and what has already been tried.
Load transfer testing
Single-leg, walking and turning tests to see how your pelvis handles load.
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.
Gluteal and hip assessment
Hands-on assessment of the gluteal, hip rotator, adductor and low back muscles.
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 pelvic girdle 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 overworked gluteal, hip rotator, adductor and pelvic floor muscles that disrupt pelvic stability. 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 to calm pain and nerve sensitivity around the sacroiliac joints and pelvis.
See servicesBetween visits
Stability Plan & Team Coordination
Guidance on movement strategies and activity, coordinated with your PT, OB or midwife for strengthening and support.
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
"One week ago I walked into Dr. Anthony Gordon's office ... with chronic low back pain, bilateral hip pain, tingling along my left thigh, right knee pain and left shoulder pain. ... After one treatment I found myself standing straighter with decreased back, hip and knee pain and no tingling to my left thigh."
Estrellita Ammirati, Google Review
Pelvic Girdle Pain Questions
Answers About Pelvic Girdle Pain
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
No. Pelvic girdle pain comes from the pelvic joints and surrounding muscles. Sciatica comes from nerve irritation. They can feel similar, and the exam helps tell them apart.
Yes, with positioning and technique adjusted for pregnancy. Please coordinate with your OB or midwife.
Many women improve after delivery, but some continue to have pain postpartum, which is treatable.
The pelvic floor helps stabilize the pelvis. Guarding or poor coordination affects how the pelvis carries load.
Most people need six to ten sessions with reassessment.
Usually modified activity is better than full rest. Dr. Gordon helps you adjust what aggravates the pain.
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 pelvic girdle 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 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. Pelvic girdle pain 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 Pelvic Girdle Pain
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