Pelvic Floor Symptom
Postpartum Pelvic Pain
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
Your baby is here, and your body is still hurting. Maybe it is your perineum where you tore, your C-section scar, your tailbone, your pubic bone, or a deep pelvic ache. Weeks or months have passed and it is not going away. Postpartum pelvic pain is common and often dismissed as normal. It is treatable.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Postpartum Pelvic Pain
Pregnancy and birth place enormous demands on the pelvis. Vaginal birth stretches and sometimes tears the pelvic floor and perineum. Episiotomy and C-section leave scars. Hormones loosen joints, and the pubic bone and tailbone can be strained. Caring for a newborn adds hours of lifting, feeding postures and little sleep.
Most of this heals in the first weeks, but for many women, pain continues: perineal pain from tears or scars, pain with sex, tailbone pain, pubic bone or sacroiliac pain, C-section scar pain, and pelvic floor tension or weakness. The pelvic floor often responds to birth injury by guarding, which creates its own pain even after tissue heals.
Your OB or midwife manages postpartum medical care. Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor, scar tissue and joint-related muscle contributors to pain, working around feeding and your schedule.
Postpartum Pelvic Pain at a Glance
Where it is felt
Perineum, vagina, tailbone, pubic bone, sacroiliac joints, C-section scar, deep pelvis
Common sources
Tears and episiotomy, C-section scars, pelvic floor guarding or weakness, joint strain
When to seek care
Pain lasting beyond the first six to eight weeks, or pain that limits daily life
Often seen with
Painful sex, leaking, constipation, pelvic heaviness
What Dr. Gordon addresses
Pelvic floor tension, scar tissue, tailbone and pubic bone pain, hip and low back tension
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Postpartum checkups focus on healing and major complications. Lingering pelvic floor pain is often called normal and left untreated.
What routine testing is looking for
- Infection or wound problems
- Retained tissue or bleeding
- Major tears that need repair
- Postpartum mood conditions
What often keeps symptoms going
- Pelvic floor guarding after tears or episiotomy
- Tender, stiff scar tissue
- Tailbone and pubic bone strain
- Hip and low back tension from caring for a baby
- Weakness alongside tension
These are assessed with a gentle, hands-on exam, at your pace.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Perineal pain
Pain at the site of a tear or episiotomy.
Pain with sex
Pain when returning to intercourse.
Tailbone pain
Pain sitting or standing up.
Pubic bone or back of pelvis pain
Pain walking, climbing stairs or turning in bed.
C-section scar pain
Tenderness, pulling or numbness around the scar.
Pelvic heaviness or leaking
Pressure, heaviness or leaking with activity.
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 after birth injury and can stay tight.
Scar tissue
Tears, episiotomy and C-section scars can stay tender and stiff.
Joint strain
The pubic bone, tailbone and sacroiliac joints can be strained during birth.
Newborn care postures
Lifting, feeding and carrying create hip, back and pelvic tension.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Postpartum 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 birth history, including delivery type, tears, episiotomy or C-section, and your recovery so far.
Scar and joint assessment
Gentle assessment of scars, the pubic bone, tailbone, 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.
Daily activity review
Dr. Gordon reviews feeding, lifting, sleep and activities that aggravate pain.
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
- Heavy bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour, or large clots
- Fever, chills or foul-smelling discharge
- Redness, swelling or drainage at a tear, episiotomy or C-section incision
- Calf pain or swelling, chest pain or shortness of breath
- Severe headache or vision changes
- Feelings of hopelessness or thoughts of harming yourself; contact your doctor or call or text 988
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 postpartum 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 pelvic floor guarding and works gently on scar tissue from tears, episiotomy or C-section. 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 pelvic nerve sensitivity and support recovery.
See servicesBetween visits
Recovery Plan & Team Coordination
Guidance on lifting, feeding postures and return to activity, coordinated with your OB, midwife 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
"I had never done acupuncture and was very nervous to try it out. Dr. G eased my nerves as soon as I walked in by thoroughly explaining the process and answering all of my questions. He is really concerned about your health and genuinely wants to help you feel better."
Kaitlin Erikson, Google Review
Postpartum Pelvic Pain Questions
Answers About Postpartum 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.
Usually after your six-week postpartum check, or when cleared by your OB or midwife. External work can sometimes start sooner.
Please call ahead to discuss. The clinic tries to make visits workable for new parents.
Yes. Acupuncture and dry needling are generally compatible with breastfeeding.
It is common, and it is treatable.
Many women improve within six to ten sessions.
Often. Scar tissue and pelvic floor guarding are common causes and treatable.
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 postpartum 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 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 bioFurther Reading
Is Pelvic Pain After Childbirth Normal? When to Get Checked
From the blog: Some soreness after birth is normal healing. Pain that lasts past six to eight weeks deserves a check. What to expect, warning signs, and when to get help.
Book an Evaluation for Postpartum Pelvic Pain
Book an evaluation with Dr. Gordon and get care for the pelvic pain that birth left behind.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.