Pulling in the groin with effort
Lifting, running, coughing or standing up from a chair can bring on a tight, caught feeling near the groin.
A hernia is a weak spot in the abdominal wall that your surgeon diagnoses, monitors and repairs. Around it, people often feel a pulling in the groin when lifting, coughing or standing up. Some notice pressure toward the pubic bone, testicles or labia, or a pelvic floor that won’t relax after training.
Long before diagnosis, many people start bracing their abdomen and shifting load away from the groin. After repair, scar stiffness and that same guarding can keep the lower abdominal wall, adductors, hip flexors and pelvic floor tight. These muscles can then press on the nerves of the groin and keep pain going after the repair has healed.
Your surgeon manages the hernia itself. My part is the pain and the muscle and nerve contributors around it, which I treat with dry needling, a form of acupuncture. The iliohypogastric nerve runs between the oblique muscle layers of the lower abdomen. When those muscles crowd it, needling them aims to give it space. The ilioinguinal nerve along the groin can also become sensitive on its own. In that case, electroacupuncture uses fine needles near it and a soft current to help adjust its signaling.
Care for a hernia rightly centers on confirming it, watching for complications and repairing it. When pain lingers, people are often told to give it time, take medication or strengthen their core. Imaging and an intact repair confirm structure, but they don’t show guarded muscles, scar stiffness or an irritated nerve. Some people have also worked with a physical therapist or chiropractor, and New York does not allow either to perform dry needling.
I ask about your hernia history, your surgery if you’ve had one, and which movements or positions bring on your pain. Then the exam:
Your surgeon and primary doctor stay in charge of the hernia and any decisions about imaging or surgery. If something in my exam seems worth raising with them, I’ll tell you and give you a summary of what I found.
Yes, I can work on the pain and muscle guarding that often come with a hernia. Your surgeon or doctor decides whether and when surgery is needed and keeps monitoring the hernia. My treatment runs alongside that care.
Ongoing pain doesn’t automatically mean recurrence, since scar stiffness, guarding or a sensitive nerve can also cause it. A new or growing bulge, fever, or worsening redness and swelling need urgent medical care. So do severe escalating pain, vomiting, being unable to pass stool or gas, and sudden testicle pain.
Strength work can help. If the abdominal wall is braced, the scar doesn’t glide, or a groin nerve is irritated, though, loading can reinforce the guarding. I aim to calm those first so strengthening becomes easier to tolerate.
Yes, when they’re part of the picture. Guarding around a hernia can raise pelvic floor tone, adding pelvic pressure, urinary urgency or sexual discomfort. Treatment may include pelvic floor dry needling and work on the nearby hip and abdominal muscles. If pelvic floor physical therapy would add to that, I’ll refer you to a pelvic floor physical therapist.
It’s usually a combination, because the muscles and nerves tend to be involved together. Relaxing the guarded abdominal muscles can ease the squeeze on the groin nerves that pass through them. When a nerve stays reactive after that, electroacupuncture is added to help settle it.
It depends on how long you’ve had symptoms, whether a nerve is involved and how much the pelvic floor is affected. I start with a short, focused course, then adjust how often you come in based on your response.
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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