Little warning before I have to go
Urges build fast, often on the way home, near running water or when you're cold or stressed.
You may get very little warning before you have to go, or stand waiting for a stream that starts and stops. Some people leak, some can’t fully empty, and many wake several times a night. Plans start to revolve around the nearest bathroom.
Bladder control depends on the brain, the spinal cord and the sacral nerves working in sequence. MS, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, stroke, diabetes and other conditions can disrupt that sequence. The bladder may squeeze too early or too weakly, and the pelvic floor may tighten when it should relax. Your neurologist and urologist manage the underlying condition, your medication and any catheter plan.
I work on the muscle and nerve side, using dry needling, a form of acupuncture, and electroacupuncture. The pudendal nerve controls the sphincter that holds urine, and it passes close to the obturator internus and levator ani. When those muscles grip, I needle them to give the nerve more room. When the S2 to S4 sacral nerves send mixed signals, electroacupuncture places fine needles near them with a gentle current, aiming to influence bladder signaling. If the spinal cord is turning bladder signals up, I treat at the sacrum and lower thoracic spine to help settle it.
Most people are already seeing a neurologist and a urologist, and many take a bladder medication or use a catheter on a schedule. That care protects the kidneys and lowers infection risk, and it should continue. Bladder medication works mainly on the bladder muscle itself. It isn’t designed to address pelvic floor muscles that grip at the wrong moment, or sacral nerves that have become irritable. Those are what I look for and treat.
I ask about your neurological diagnosis, how your bladder pattern has changed, and what your urologist has measured. Then the exam:
I work alongside your neurologist, urologist and pelvic floor PT. If a finding suggests your urologist should take another look, for example at how well you’re emptying, I’ll tell you and share my notes.
Yes. They diagnose and manage the underlying condition, your medication and any catheter plan. I work on the muscle and nerve side alongside that care, and I don’t change medication or catheter routines.
No, I don’t do internal work. Treatment is external, on the muscles around the pelvis, hips and sacrum. If internal work would help you, I’ll refer you to a pelvic floor physical therapist.
It can’t reverse the underlying condition, but it may help the parts that can change. Releasing the deep hip and pelvic floor muscles eases pressure where the sphincter’s nerve travels. Electroacupuncture aims at the sacral bladder nerves, and spinal work aims to calm amplified signals. More than one of these is usually involved, so I combine them.
A doctor needs to rule out spinal cord, brain and other causes before this kind of care. Get urgent care if you can’t urinate, have fever or pain in your side or back, or keep getting infections. The same applies to new numbness between the legs or inner thighs, quickly worsening leg weakness, or new bowel changes.
For most people that means two visits weekly for six weeks. With more severe symptoms or a slower response, it is three weekly for four. Your bladder diary shows me whether warning time and night trips are improving. When those gains hold, visits taper, and your underlying diagnosis can change that pace.
A simple bladder diary helps: trips per day, night waking, leaks and how much warning you get. If your urologist measures leftover urine after you go, bring those numbers too. They let me see what’s changing, and they’re useful to your urologist as well.
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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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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