Inner thigh or groin pain with activity
Side-to-side movement, squats, lunges and getting into a car tend to set it off.
The obturator nerve runs through the pelvis into the inner thigh and helps control the adductors, the muscles that pull your legs together. When it’s irritated, pain sits deep in the groin or inner thigh and is hard to pinpoint. Quick direction changes, lunges, wide stances and getting out of a car often bring it on.
This usually isn’t one structural problem that shows on a scan. Tight adductors, deep hip rotators and pelvic floor muscles can squeeze and rub along the nerve’s path. It can overlap with adductor tendon pain, hip joint irritation or pelvic floor tension, so the exam has to sort out what’s driving it.
I use dry needling, a form of acupuncture, and electroacupuncture for this. Where the obturator externus, pectineus and adductor brevis are tight around the obturator nerve, needling those muscles gives the nerve more room. Where the obturator nerve is irritable in its own right, I use electroacupuncture. A gentle current through fine needles near it can help shift how it signals.
Most people have had imaging, rest, stretching, medication and sometimes injections or PT. Imaging often can’t show a nerve irritated by tight muscle around it. Medication can lower pain for a while without changing what sets it off, and rest can leave the tight pattern in place. Care focused only on the tendon, the hip joint or the pelvic floor can miss that it’s often a mix. One thing PT can’t offer in New York is needling, since PTs and chiropractors aren’t permitted to dry needle here.
I start with which movements and positions bring on the pain, what eases it, and whether it’s stable or getting worse. Then the exam:
I coordinate with sports medicine, orthopedics, pain medicine and pelvic floor PT. When a finding seems worth a second look from one of them, I’ll say so and send along what I saw.
Not always. An adductor strain is a muscle injury, while obturator neuralgia is about nerve sensitivity and how the muscles around it tighten. The two can overlap. A hands-on exam and movement testing help tell them apart.
Imaging can rule certain structural problems in or out. It usually can’t show a nerve irritated by tight muscle around it, so a normal MRI doesn’t explain why pain persists. I use imaging as background and rely on the exam to guide treatment.
Get prompt medical care for worsening weakness, spreading numbness, changes in how you walk, or bowel or bladder changes. Numbness in the saddle area, fever, unexplained weight loss or severe night pain that doesn’t let up also need a doctor. These need medical screening before needling.
People often begin at one or two sessions weekly over a 4 to 6 week course. Sessions get less frequent as the inner thigh becomes less reactive. Frequency depends on how severe the pain is and what your training or work demands.
Only when the exam shows pelvic floor tension is adding to the pattern. I use pelvic floor dry needling selectively. If pelvic floor PT would help, I’m glad to coordinate with your therapist.
That’s common. A different result often comes from choosing the exact muscles involved and the right amount of treatment. Usually I combine approaches: loosening the adductor brevis and obturator externus frees the nerve’s exit into the thigh, and current calms the nerve directly.
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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