Pain with long strides or standing on one leg
Longer steps, hills, stairs or standing on one leg to dress tend to bring it on.
The front of your pelvis aches or turns sharp with long strides, stairs, side lunges or sit ups. It may feel fine during activity and flare later. Pubic bone pain is a symptom with more than one possible source, and the tissue attaching around the bone is a common one.
The inner thigh tendons and lower belly muscles both anchor near the pubic bone and pass load between the legs and trunk. When they’re overloaded or guarding, the pubic area becomes the focal point, even with normal imaging. In athletes it often follows a jump in training, sprinting, kicking or cutting. After pregnancy it can appear as you return to higher loads. A tight pelvic floor can add pressure and sensitivity around the area.
Pubic pain is something I treat mostly with dry needling, a form of acupuncture. Tight adductor longus and brevis can press on the obturator nerve, which runs between them. Lower belly muscles can squeeze the ilioinguinal nerve near the pubic bone. Needling those muscles gives the nerves room, and I also treat the pelvic floor where it reproduces your pain.
Most people have tried rest, anti-inflammatories and general strengthening, sometimes after imaging. These help some people. They may not change sensitive tendon attachments or the way the hips, belly and pelvic floor share load. Imaging can look normal while those tissues stay reactive. Physical therapy for groin and pubic pain is valuable. In New York it can’t include needling, as PTs and chiropractors may not legally dry needle.
I ask which movements bring the pain on, how your training or activity has changed, and whether it flares during or after. Then the exam:
Sports medicine, orthopedics, OB-GYN and physical therapy are the people I work alongside for pubic pain. If anything I find suggests one of them should reassess, I’ll let you know and pass on my findings.
Not necessarily. The pubic symphysis is the joint at the front of the pelvis. Pain there can come from the inner thigh attachments, lower belly wall, nearby connective tissue or pelvic floor guarding. I look for which tissue reproduces your pain under the loads that bother you.
Normal imaging can still come with real pain. Sensitive attachments, poor coordination and a nervous system on alert often don’t show up on scans. Hands-on testing often clarifies the source.
Yes, when the exam points to it. Needling the inner thigh, lower belly and related muscles aims to reduce trigger point sensitivity and improve how well you tolerate movement. Relaxing the adductors also takes pressure off the obturator nerve that runs between them.
It depends on how irritable the area is, how long you’ve had it, and how much your activity can be adjusted. Most people start with a short series, then space visits out as tolerance improves.
Not always. Complete rest can ease pain in the short term but may leave tissues less prepared for load. I usually adjust volume, intensity and the moves that aggravate it so you can keep training safely.
Seek medical care if pain is severe and worsening, follows a fall or direct blow, or comes with fever or feeling unwell. The same goes for night pain that keeps escalating, new numbness or weakness, or being unable to bear weight.
Adults with pelvic floor, nerve and orthopedic pain, along with neurological conditions. Most of my patients come to me after other care hasn't fully settled things. If you're looking for general wellness acupuncture, I'm not the right fit.
We review your history and what you've already tried. I assess the muscles and nerves involved, and you're treated the same day.
It depends on the condition. Pelvic and orthopedic plans usually run 4 to 6 weeks. Neurological plans are usually 2 visits a week for 6 weeks or 3 a week for 4. After that, visits space out so the changes hold. These are typical timelines, not promises.
Yes. I work alongside doctors, physical therapists and specialists. If something I find needs a closer look from one of them, I'll tell you.
I'm an out-of-network provider. You pay at the time of your visit, and my office submits the claim so any reimbursement comes to you. Free benefit checks are available before your first visit through the verification form, and HSA and FSA cards work. I don't take Medicare or Medicaid, though some Medicare Advantage plans reimburse out-of-network care. Full insurance details
Yes. I treat adults, teens and children, though I don't specialize in infants or toddlers.
Yes. Book a free discovery call to ask your questions and see whether we're a good fit.
Dry needling is a form of acupuncture. Fine needles go into tight bands of muscle and trigger points to lower muscle tension and change how the area is signaling.
You may feel a brief twitch or a deep ache as the needle reaches tight muscle. It passes quickly, and any soreness afterward usually fades within a day or two.
It's generally safe with a properly trained practitioner. Needles are sterile and single-use, and I check your health history first, including blood thinners. In New York, dry needling can only be performed by licensed acupuncturists, MDs and DOs. Physical therapists and chiropractors aren't permitted to perform it.
Eat something light beforehand and wear loose clothing that lets me reach the area being treated.
Usually not. Ultrasound helps in a few specific cases, but it hasn't been shown to improve results for common trigger points. A careful hands-on exam is what guides the needle. More on ultrasound-guided dry needling
Dry needling aimed at the pelvic floor and the hip and abdominal muscles around it, for pain, tension and urinary symptoms driven by those muscles and their nerves. More on pelvic floor dry needling
Sometimes, depending on the muscles involved, and you'll be draped throughout. Treatment always follows your consent and comfort. I don't do internal exams or internal treatment.
No, though it helps if you've already seen a doctor or pelvic floor physical therapist. Bring any notes or imaging you have.
Completely. I've heard it all, and there's no judgment here, just a straightforward conversation so we can treat what's going on.
Yes, I treat adults of every gender and identity. After gender-affirming surgery involving the pelvis, bring your surgical notes and we'll decide together what fits.
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Evidence-based acupuncture and dry needling on the Upper West Side. From chronic pain and headaches to pelvic floor dysfunction, Dr. Jordan Barber pairs the highest level of training with care that actually listens.
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