I am writing in support to amend regulations to permit athletic trainers to use the modality of dry needling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

Practicing athletic trainers require a 6-year Master of Science degree, certification through the Board of Certification (BOC), as well as a license to practice athletic training from the Virginia Department of Health Professions and are trusted to provide patient care in a wide range of professional settings.

Athletic training education programs which are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) are already mandated to include instruction in invasive procedures like emergency IV insertion, lidocaine administration through injection, and closing wounds with staples or sutures. This training highlights the appropriate clinical training athletic trainers undergo in modalities that break the skin. 

The Governor of Virginia also issued an emergency order to allow athletic trainers to administer vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the commonwealth’s confidence in the profession and training of athletic trainers in patient care that breaks the skin.

Dry needling is a Western medicine medical modality focused on intramuscular and myofascial trigger point therapy. It should be viewed independently and distinctly from acupuncture, which is an Eastern medicine practice aimed at addressing meridians within the body and balancing energy flow.

With the appropriate training, athletic trainers are properly educated, well qualified, and professionally equipped to use dry needling as an appropriate modality to address acute and chronic pain and motion dysfunction in their patient populations.

For these reasons, I encourage lawmakers to partner with the athletic training profession in advancing patient care by supporting this amendment.