Pain that builds the longer I stand
It starts as tightness or pressure and sharpens after 5 to 30 minutes, then eases with sitting, leaning or shifting weight.
Pain with prolonged standing is a symptom with several possible sources. It often starts as pressure or tightness and turns sharper after 5 to 30 minutes on your feet. Walking around or leaning on something helps, and standing still with your knees locked makes it worse.
Standing still asks the trunk, hips and abdominal wall to hold a low, steady contraction. When those muscles tire, the body tends to grip the buttocks, brace the belly, flare the ribs or hold the breath. More of the load then falls on the low back, groin, deep buttock and the SI joint, where the spine meets the pelvis. Over minutes, the muscles tighten and nearby nerves grow more sensitive.
My treatment is dry needling, a form of acupuncture, aimed at the iliopsoas, adductors, quadratus lumborum and gluteal muscles that tighten as you stand. The lumbar plexus, the nerve network that supplies the groin and front of the thigh, forms inside the psoas muscle. Needling a tight psoas gives those nerves more room. Some branches of that network become irritable on their own and send burning or a pulling feeling into the leg. For those, electroacupuncture places fine needles near the nerve and runs a gentle current to help it signal more normally.
People with standing pain have usually had imaging, pain medication and a general strengthening program. Imaging cannot measure how long your muscles hold up in a still posture. Medication may take the edge off without changing how quickly the pain builds. Strengthening helps many people, yet some get stronger and still cannot stand comfortably, because the issue is endurance and tight, guarded muscles. If you have seen a PT or chiropractor, they could not offer needling, because New York law keeps dry needling outside their scope.
I ask how long you can stand before symptoms begin, where they settle, and whether walking or leaning resets them. Then the exam:
My work sits alongside your primary care doctor, orthopedist and physical therapist. Should the exam suggest a return visit to any of them, I’ll say so and send my findings along with you.
Imaging is good at ruling out specific structural problems. It cannot show how your muscles cope with holding a posture, or whether they have become tight and tender. Standing pain usually reflects how load is handled over time, not visible damage.
Sometimes, though more often it is endurance and control. Plenty of strong people stand with a high tension strategy, clenching and bracing all the time. I look at how you breathe and hold your posture as you tire, and the exercises target what is missing.
Most of the time it is a combination, because muscle and nerve are often both part of it. Needling the tight psoas and adductors frees up the groin nerves that pass through or beside them. When one of those nerves stays sensitive anyway, electroacupuncture is added. Calmer muscles also make posture retraining easier.
Most people start with one or two visits a week to settle things down and set a plan. Visits taper as you can stand longer. The pace depends on how fast the tissues calm and how steadily you keep up the endurance work.
You can stand longer before symptoms start and need to shift or lean less. Breathing feels easier when upright. Long workdays and events cause fewer flares, and you recover faster when one happens.
Seek urgent evaluation for new or worsening numbness or weakness, changes in bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the saddle area. The same goes for rapidly increasing swelling, fever, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, or symptoms after a significant injury. If you are unsure, get checked promptly.
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.
We also offer house calls and after-hours appointments by arrangement.
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118 W. 72nd St, Rear Lobby, New York, NY 10023
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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