Dry Needling should be without a doubt in the scope of a trained Physical Therapist practice.  Scott Roberts has been my physical Therapist for the past 11 years and I would dare say I was his first or at least one of his first patients to have dry needling performed on me in my physical therapy treatment.  I would get immediate relief from dry needling, would not bruise like I did in manual therapy and I truly believe that if Scott had not performed dry needling on me my results would not have been anywhere near the results that we have seen.  The process immediately releases the trigger point and the result is immediate followed by reinforcement exercise.  This is not acupuncture and if anyone tries to say that it is then perhaps they should be treated by a trained physical therapist to see the true difference.  A doctor sends a patient to physical therapy in hopes of  a treatment plan for their patient to have a better quality of life.  They rely on the physical therapist after the physical therapist does a thorough exam to recommend back to them the treatment plan including dry needling as they do not have the skills to perform the actual treatment.  The doctor in turn signs off on the treatment plan both as a belief in the plan and also so the insurance company will approve the treatment plan including but not limited to dry needling and in hopes of a better quality of life for their patient.  I am living proof of dry needling.  I am 75 years old and thanks to dry needling have been kept off the operating table when at one point it was recommended that the only way I would get relief was through surgery.  Thank you Scott Roberts for  the dry needling and the insurance company should be dancing in the street for all the money you have saved them in keeping me healthy and strong,