Action | Practice of dry needling |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 2/24/2017 |
I have been practicing acupuncture for almost 10 years. I have treated patients that have had "dry needling" done. I have treated physical therapists who themselves practice "dry needling" and I have treated patients whose physical therapist recommended "dry needling." All of which, note, "there is a difference." The differences go beyond meridians and energy. The insertion of a needle into the body requires technique. Haphazardly inserting a needle purely to create a spasm or a reaction from the muscle is equivalent to a surgeon blindly cutting away at tissue in hopes to get to the right area. Needles in any person's hands has the potential to heal as well as harm.
Physical Therapists should be adequately trained. Training for licensed acupuncturists requires 3000 credit hours yet physical therapists take weekend or online courses to become certified to practice. This difference can mean the difference between healing and harming a patient.
This among the following are issues that need to be addressed for the good of the patient.