Pelvic Floor Condition
Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
You had a catheter during surgery, childbirth or a hospital stay. It came out, but the burning, urgency and pelvic ache did not go away. Urine tests are clear. A catheter can irritate the urethra, and the pelvic floor often responds by clamping down. That protective tension can keep symptoms going long after the tissue itself has healed.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain
Urinary catheters are common during surgery, childbirth and hospital stays. Most people have mild irritation that settles within days. For some, burning, urgency, frequency and pelvic or perineal pain continue for weeks or months after removal.
The catheter passes through the urethra and the pelvic floor muscles that surround it. Irritation, stretching or a difficult insertion can trigger the pelvic floor to guard. Once guarding sets in, the muscles can stay tight, producing urethral burning, urgency, a slow stream and pelvic pain even after the urethra has healed. Nerves around the urethra can also become sensitized.
Your physician should rule out infection, stricture and bladder injury. Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor guarding and nerve sensitivity that commonly keep symptoms going.
Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain at a Glance
Also called
Post-catheter urethral pain
Who it affects
Men and women after surgery, childbirth or hospital stays with a urinary catheter
Common symptoms
Urethral burning, urgency, frequency, slow stream, pelvic or perineal pain
Typical workup results
Negative cultures, normal scope or imaging
Main drivers
Pelvic floor guarding around the urethra, urethral nerve sensitivity, stress
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Testing checks for infection and injury, which is essential. When results are clear, the pelvic floor response to the catheter is often not considered.
What routine testing is looking for
- Urinary tract infection
- Urethral stricture
- Bladder injury
- Stones or structural problems
What often keeps symptoms going
- Pelvic floor muscles that tightened around the urethra
- Trigger points that refer burning to the urethra
- Sensitized urethral nerves
- Guarding from anxiety about urination
- Hip and abdominal tension after surgery
These are found with a pelvic floor assessment.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Urethral burning
Burning or stinging in the urethra, during or between urination.
Urgency and frequency
Needing to go often and urgently.
Slow or hesitant stream
Difficulty starting or a weak stream.
Pelvic or perineal pain
Aching in the pelvis, perineum or above the pubic bone.
Pain with sex
Discomfort during or after intercourse or ejaculation.
Symptoms that began after a catheter
Symptoms that clearly started after catheter placement or removal.
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 tightens around the urethra in response to catheter irritation and can stay tight.
Trigger points
Tight pelvic floor muscles develop trigger points that refer burning to the urethra.
Urethral nerve sensitivity
Nerves around the urethra can become sensitized after irritation.
Post-surgical tension
Surgery, bed rest and pain lead to hip and abdominal tension that adds to pelvic floor guarding.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Post-Catheterization Pelvic 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 catheter history, surgery or hospital details, urine tests and any scope or imaging.
External muscle mapping
Assessment of the abdomen, hips, inner thighs and perineum to find 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.
Bladder habits review
Dr. Gordon looks at frequency, fluid intake and urination habits.
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 post-catheterization pelvic 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 the pelvic floor muscles that tightened around the urethra and the hip and abdominal muscles that guard with them. 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
Gentle electro-acupuncture along the sacral nerve pathways to calm urethral burning and urgency.
See servicesBetween visits
Bladder Plan & Team Coordination
Guidance on bladder habits and flare control, coordinated with your urologist or physician.
Referring provider? Contact the clinicWhat to Expect
A Typical Recovery Arc
Visits 1 to 3
Calm the guarding
Dr. Gordon releases pelvic floor tension. Many people notice less burning or urgency early.
Visits 4 to 8
Normalize function
Urination becomes more comfortable and less frequent.
Visits 9 and beyond
Maintain gains
Visits are spaced out as symptoms settle.
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
Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain Questions
Answers About Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
Mild irritation usually settles within a few days. Symptoms lasting weeks, with negative tests, suggest pelvic floor guarding or nerve sensitivity.
Your urologist can check for a stricture if your stream is very weak. Pelvic floor tension can also slow the stream.
The catheter passes through the pelvic floor. Irritation triggers protective tightening that can persist.
No. The pelvic floor muscles are examined externally, with no internal exam. Treatment options are explained before anything begins, and nothing is done without your consent.
Many people improve within six to ten sessions.
Yes. Both men and women can develop pelvic floor guarding after catheterization.
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-catheterization pelvic 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. Post-catheterization pelvic 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 Post-Catheterization Pelvic Pain
Book a full evaluation with Dr. Gordon and find out whether pelvic floor guarding is behind your ongoing symptoms.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.
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