Action | Practice of dry needling |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 7/26/2019 |
The way the current regulations are written are still good guidance--PT's who wish to use dry needling should have multiple courses (many hours--I believe it is over 50 hours) of training and a similar number of hours of practice prior to being able to use the modality in clinic and bill for it. It is also my understanding that PT's who wish to needle must have a minimum of 2 yrs of experience. I believe this is still good guidance as well. Having practiced PT for over 32 years and needled for approximately 5 years, I feel I can comment on what are wise guidelines. I have heard of PT's needling who did not follow protocol and/or used poor technique and follow-up around needling (usually due to time constraints in the clinic or overbooking). This gives therapists and needling by therapists a bad reputation and reinforces the concerns of other providers who utilize needles in their profession (acupuncturists). Reducing the training required will only contribute to the negative side of this equation. Thank you.