Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Physical Therapy
 
chapter
Regulations Governing the Practice of Physical Therapy [18 VAC 112 ‑ 20]
Action Practice of dry needling
Stage Proposed
Comment Period Ended on 7/26/2019
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7/18/19  4:46 pm
Commenter: Yan Fan

L.A.c
 

Dry needling is acupuncture. If PT and other professions practitioner want to practice it, welcome!   But for patients safety issues, they still owe 700 hours additional training course and need pass clean needle technique course and many more. Third party examination must be set up.  PT take very little hours training course then through change acupuncture name as Dry needling to try to success to bypass acupuncture Law, then practice acupuncture/Dry needling that is very high risk for patients. According collected a information reported three serious case happened in Virginia. Following is case simple description: 1) In December 2013, Stewart J. a 50 years-old lady suffered a traumatic Pneumothorax  from penetrating right lung related to Dry needling performed by a Physical therapist. she was hospitalized for two days.  2) In May 2015, Knauer J. a 30 years-old lady also suffered a Traumatic Pneumothorax from penetrating right lung related to Dry needling performed by a Chiropractor. she was hospitalized for six hours. 3) in 2016, Wes Jenkins, a 23 years-old a young man, suffered a Traumatic Pneumothorax from penetrating lung injury related to Dry needling performed by a PT. He was hospitalized for four days. 

CommentID: 73643