Pelvic Floor Condition
Post-Radiation Pelvic Pain
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Your cancer treatment worked. But months or years later, your pelvis feels stiff and sore, sex is painful or impossible, and your bladder or bowels are more urgent than before. Radiation changes tissue over time. The pelvic floor, connective tissue and nerves can become tight, fibrous and sensitive, and gentle, coordinated care can help.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Post-Radiation Pelvic Pain
Radiation therapy for prostate, cervical, uterine, rectal, anal and bladder cancer is highly effective, but it affects the healthy tissues around the target as well. Over months and years, irradiated tissue can become less elastic and more fibrous, blood supply can decrease, and nerves can become sensitized.
In the pelvis, these changes can cause pelvic and perineal pain, stiffness, narrowing of the vagina, pain with sex, erectile changes, urinary urgency and frequency, bowel urgency, and pain with bowel movements. The pelvic floor often tightens in response to pain and to the tissue changes, which adds its own symptoms.
Your oncology team monitors for recurrence and manages radiation-related medical issues. Dr. Gordon works gently and in coordination with them, treating the muscle guarding, tissue stiffness and nerve sensitivity that commonly follow pelvic radiation.
Post-Radiation Pelvic Pain at a Glance
Also called
Radiation-induced pelvic fibrosis, pelvic radiation disease
Who it affects
People treated with radiation for prostate, cervical, uterine, rectal, anal or bladder cancer
When it appears
Months to years after radiation
Common symptoms
Pelvic pain, stiffness, painful sex, bladder and bowel urgency
What Dr. Gordon addresses
Pelvic floor guarding, tissue stiffness, nerve sensitivity, hip and abdominal tension
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Follow-up care rightly focuses on cancer surveillance. Muscle guarding, tissue stiffness and nerve sensitivity often go unaddressed.
What routine testing is looking for
- Cancer recurrence
- Radiation cystitis or proctitis
- Strictures or fistulas
- Bone changes on imaging
What often keeps symptoms going
- Pelvic floor guarding in response to pain
- Stiff, less elastic connective tissue
- Sensitized pelvic nerves
- Hip and abdominal muscle tension
- Vaginal or penile tissue changes that affect intimacy
These are assessed gently and with your oncology team's input, which is how Dr. Gordon approaches post-radiation care.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Pelvic or perineal pain
Aching, burning or stiffness in the pelvis or perineum.
Pain with sex
Pain with penetration or reduced vaginal elasticity, or erectile changes.
Bladder urgency and frequency
Needing to go often and urgently.
Bowel urgency or pain
Urgency, frequency or pain with bowel movements.
Stiffness in the pelvis and hips
Reduced movement and tightness in the hips and groin.
Tailbone or low back pain
Aching at the tailbone, sacrum or low back.
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.
Tissue fibrosis
Irradiated tissue can become stiff and less elastic over time, which your oncology team monitors.
Pelvic floor guarding
Pain and tissue changes cause the pelvic floor to tighten, adding pain and urgency.
Nerve sensitivity
Radiation and ongoing pain can make pelvic nerves more reactive.
Hip and abdominal tension
Stiffness and guarding spread to the hips, inner thighs and abdominal wall.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Post-Radiation 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 cancer history, radiation details, surgeries, current oncology follow-up and any restrictions from your care team.
Gentle external assessment
Careful assessment of the abdomen, hips, inner thighs and low back, respecting irradiated skin and tissue.
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, bowel and intimacy review
Dr. Gordon reviews urinary, bowel and sexual function so treatment targets what matters most to you.
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
- New or increasing bleeding from the bladder, bowel or vagina
- A new lump or mass
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fever or chills with pelvic symptoms
- 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-radiation 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 gently releases pelvic floor, hip and abdominal muscle guarding, working around irradiated tissue with appropriate care. 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 to calm pelvic nerve sensitivity and support bladder and bowel regulation.
See servicesBetween visits
Gentle Plan & Oncology Coordination
A pace-appropriate plan coordinated with your oncologist, radiation oncologist and pelvic floor PT.
Referring provider? Contact the clinicWhat to Expect
A Typical Recovery Arc
Visits 1 to 3
Assess and settle
Dr. Gordon starts gently, assesses tissue response and begins reducing guarding and sensitivity.
Visits 4 to 8
Improve comfort
Pain, stiffness and urgency often ease, and daily activities become more comfortable.
Visits 9 to 12 and beyond
Maintain gains
Visits are spaced out, with ongoing coordination with your care team.
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
"I've known Dr Gordon for many years. I have many health issues and can honestly say he always takes my ailments seriously and does extensive research to find and help my problems."
Susan Miele, Google Review
Post-Radiation Pelvic Pain Questions
Answers About Post-Radiation 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.
Acupuncture and dry needling are generally used with care after cancer treatment. Dr. Gordon avoids compromised skin, takes lymphedema and bleeding risk into account, and coordinates with your oncology team.
Usually once acute radiation effects have settled and your oncology team agrees. Many patients come months or years after treatment.
Often. Pelvic floor guarding and tissue stiffness are common contributors and can be addressed, alongside dilator therapy from your PT or physician.
Yes. With your permission, Dr. Gordon communicates with your care team.
It varies. Many people start with eight to twelve gentle sessions with reassessment.
Often. Pelvic floor tension and nerve sensitivity frequently add to urgency after radiation.
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-radiation 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-radiation 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-Radiation Pelvic Pain
Book an evaluation with Dr. Gordon to address the pelvic pain and stiffness that can follow radiation.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.
Symptoms
Common Symptoms of Post-Radiation Pelvic Pain
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