I own a private practice and hold a doctorate in physical therapy as well as a masters degree in acupuncture. Dry needling is a form of acupuncture that has been documented in the ancient chinese classics. Physical therapists across the country are performing this form of acupuncture and are calling it 'dry needling' to get a way with it! They can take as little as a weekend workshop with no supervised clinical time included and stick acuncture needles into people. In the case of Virginia, they have NO minimal training required to do so! As a physical therapist, i consider this a case of PTs wanting to reap the financial benefits of being able to offer and perform acupuncture under the auspices of dry needling, and billing it illegally under 'manual therapy'. There is NO definition in any PT practice act, nor in the APTA that defines manual therapy as puncturing the skin. In the case of billing Medicare and Medicaid for dry needling under manual therapy, this is blatant Medicare fraud, and it is only a matter of time before this is all uncovered. The AMA came out with a position statement last year on PTs doing dry needling that states: 

The AMA adopted a policy that said physical therapists and other

non-physicians practicing dry needling should – at a minimum –

have standards that are similar to the ones for training, certi"cation

and continuing education that exist for acupuncture.

"Lax regulation and nonexistent standards surround this invasive

practice. For patients' safety, practitioners should meet standards

required for licensed acupuncturists and physicians," AMA Board

Member Russell W. H. Kridel, M.D.

My 4 year masters degree program in acupuncture included over 700 hours in theory, and treatment in acupuncture and another 870 hours of clinical training in acupuncture, with 700 of those being directly supervised. Compare that to a weekend training or none in the proposed Virginia regulations!

The public safety is at risk, and allowing PTs to perform acupuncture under the title of 'dry needling' is a liability to any state. The state of Oregon recognized this and 2 years ago the state attorney general palced a legal injunction against PTs from being able to perform dry needling due to the huge risks involved.

Be smart, jsut say no.