Action | Practice of dry needling |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 2/24/2017 |
Acupuncture is a highly effective modality within Chinese Medicine. So called "dry needling" is within the acupuncture umbrella. Patients have ample access to acupuncture practitioners with extensive, 4 year training. In CO, some PTs have misled the public, claiming that dry needling is different than and even superior to acupuncture. We have heard them claim that acupuncturists only uses points on the meridians. This is blatantly false. We are seeing PTs expand into needling for issues outside their scope of practice for internal medicine and cosmetic purposes. These expansions are based on Chinese Medicine which requires years of study to gain competency. We are seeing an increase in pneumothorax injuries at the hands of PTs. This is an unnecessary risk. Acupuncture practitioners, with 4 years of training, can (and do) provide far safer "dry needling" within their scope of practice.