Pelvic Floor Condition
Vulvodynia
By Dr. Anthony J. Gordon, Doctor of Acupuncture | Last reviewed September 2026
There is a burning, stinging or raw feeling at the vulva. It may be constant, or it may flare only with touch, sitting, tight clothes or intercourse. Cultures are negative and the skin looks normal. Vulvodynia is real pain from real sources, most often irritated nerves and a pelvic floor that has learned to guard.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (516) 597-5400. Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks.
Overview
Understanding Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia is pain of the vulva lasting at least three months without a clear cause such as infection or skin disease. It can be generalized, affecting the whole vulva, or localized, most often at the vestibule, the entrance to the vagina. Localized vestibular pain is called vestibulodynia. Pain may be provoked by touch or happen on its own.
The nerves supplying the vulva are branches of the pudendal nerve, and they run through the pelvic floor. When these nerves are irritated or sensitized, and when the pelvic floor holds tension, the result is burning, stinging and pain with light touch. Many people with vulvodynia also have tight pelvic floor muscles, bladder symptoms or a history of recurrent yeast infections. Hormonal factors play a role for some.
Your gynecologist or vulvar specialist manages medical and topical treatment and any hormonal contributors. Dr. Gordon treats the pelvic floor and nerve patterns that so often maintain vulvar pain.
Vulvodynia at a Glance
Also called
Vestibulodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, chronic vulvar pain
Types
Generalized or localized, provoked by touch or spontaneous
Common triggers
Recurrent yeast infections, hormonal changes, prolonged sitting, pelvic floor tension
Typical workup results
Negative cultures, normal-looking skin or mild redness, limited relief from creams
Main drivers
Pudendal nerve sensitivity, pelvic floor tension, vestibular tissue sensitivity, hip guarding
The Gap in Care
What Tests Check, and What They Can Miss
Ruling out infections and skin conditions is the right first step. When those are clear, the nerves and muscles that produce vulvar pain are often not assessed at all.
What routine testing is looking for
- Yeast, bacterial or viral infections
- Skin conditions such as lichen sclerosus
- Allergic or irritant reactions
- Hormonal tissue changes
What often keeps symptoms going
- Sensitized branches of the pudendal nerve
- A pelvic floor that holds tension at rest
- Trigger points that refer burning to the vulva
- Inner thigh and hip muscle guarding
- A nervous system that amplifies touch into pain
These are found through gentle hands-on assessment.
Signs & Symptoms
Does This Sound Like You?
Symptoms vary from person to person. These are the patterns Dr. Gordon sees most often.
Burning or stinging
A hot, raw or stinging feeling at the vulva that may be constant or come and go.
Pain with touch
Pain with light pressure from clothing, tampons, a cotton swab or a partner's touch.
Pain with intercourse
Pain at the entrance during penetration, often lasting afterward.
Pain with sitting
Discomfort that builds in a chair, on a bike or while driving.
Itching or rawness without infection
A sensation of irritation that does not respond to antifungals.
Bladder symptoms
Urgency or burning with urination that often travels with vulvar pain.
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.
Pudendal nerve sensitivity
The branches supplying the vulva can become irritated along their path through the pelvis, turning light touch into pain.
Pelvic floor tension
Tight pelvic floor muscles compress nerves and refer burning to the vulva and vestibule.
Tissue sensitivity at the vestibule
The entrance tissue can become more sensitive after infections, irritants or hormonal changes, managed medically by your gynecologist.
Hip and inner thigh guarding
The adductors and hip muscles tighten with the pelvic floor and add to pressure and referred pain.
Your First Visit
How Dr. Gordon Evaluates Vulvodynia
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 gynecologist's findings, imaging, medications and past treatments so he knows what has been ruled out and what has already been tried.
External muscle and nerve mapping
Gentle assessment of the abdomen, hips, inner thighs, buttocks and perineum along the pudendal nerve pathway.
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, clothing and flare review
Dr. Gordon looks at how sitting, exercise, clothing and intimacy affect your symptoms.
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
- Fever or chills with pelvic pain
- Unusual discharge, sores or lesions
- Bleeding after menopause, or bleeding heavy enough to soak a pad or tampon every hour
- Sudden, severe pelvic or abdominal pain
- Possible pregnancy with new pelvic pain
- 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 vulvodynia, chosen from your exam findings.
Primary approach
Intrapelvic & Extrapelvic Dry Needling
Dr. Gordon holds ASE certification in both intrapelvic and extrapelvic dry needling. Treatment targets the pelvic floor, inner thigh and hip muscles that compress the nerves supplying the vulva. 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 pudendal and sacral nerve pathways to calm burning and touch sensitivity.
See servicesBetween visits
Comfort Plan & Team Coordination
Guidance on sitting, clothing and flare control, coordinated with your gynecologist, vulvar specialist 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 thoughtful, thorough and incredibly knowledgeable. He has significantly helped me with pain management and pelvic floor issues. I am grateful to have his expertise in my corner."
Dina Isola, Google Review
Vulvodynia Questions
Answers About Vulvodynia
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Reach out before you book and Dr. Gordon will talk through your history with you.
Not by an active infection, although recurrent infections can be a trigger. By definition, vulvodynia is pain without an identifiable infection or skin disease.
The nerves supplying the vulva pass through the pelvic floor. Tight muscles can compress and irritate them, and trigger points refer burning directly to the vulva.
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.
Yes, continue any treatment from your gynecologist or specialist. Dr. Gordon's care works alongside it.
Most people need eight to twelve sessions with reassessment, typically weekly at first.
Often. Pain at the entrance with intercourse frequently involves pelvic floor tension and nerve sensitivity, which Dr. Gordon treats directly.
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 vulvodynia, 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. 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 bioBook an Evaluation for Vulvodynia
Book a full evaluation with Dr. Gordon and find out which nerves and muscles are behind your burning and sensitivity.
Early morning, evening and weekend appointments available. Free on-site parking.
Symptoms
Common Symptoms of Vulvodynia
Further Reading
Vulvodynia: Why Burning Pain Often Involves the Pelvic Floor
From the blog: Vulvodynia is vulvar pain lasting three months or more without a clear cause. How sensitive nerves and tight pelvic floor muscles keep the burning going.
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