This idea of allowing Dry Needling to be used by a Physical Therapist is not in the best interest of the patient and the healthcare system as a whole.

Why?

The miseducation of medical doctors today is the reason. Most MDs have no idea what Acupuncture is and is not. Many think that they have to “believe” that it works, not that it simply works.  So how are they going to comprehend how to guide a Physical Therapist to be able to get the full benefit for this therapy??

PT do not have the educational, experiences and awareness needed to understand the complexities of how the science works, how nature works, how medicine works, how a history and physical works, how a differential diagnosis works and how to manage a patient independently.

 

The referring MDs have very little idea of thin or hypodermic needles, pain, soft tissues, muscle dysfunctions or managing a patient from fully illness to full recovery. So how are they going to guide a PT? They cannot and they will not want to be bothered either.

 

Dry needling is a power and potent tool when used with the knowledge, experiences and awareness of a provider who has countless hours in training, being supervised and tested and certifies. One who understands all of the facts and logic of nature, and how the human body works and does not work. How to conduct a thorough history PE, differential diagnosis, problem solving all within the methods that scientist use to formulate conclusion. Physical Therapist do not have this training. So I will have to say NO to Physical Therapist and Dry Needling.

 

The poor wounded souls in pain and misery who would benefit from needling therapy must be given the best and most experienced providers who have done the grunt work, paid their dues are are fully vetted, trusted, accredited curriculum as an independant "Practitioner of Medicine." Physical Therapist do not have this training. So I will have to say NO to Physical Therapist and Dry Needling.

 

Why waste a wounded soul’s time with a only dry needling when they really need a fully trained provider who can offer them a more customize and personalize a combination of options that has an inherent guarantee to restore them back to a normal state of wellbeing. Physical Therapist do not have this training. So I will have to say NO to Physical Therapist and Dry Needling.

 

Knowing what I know about how medical students are taught, I would be very hesitant to give young MDs this tool without the proper credentials. To give this tool to a hands-on therapist without years of education, months of hands-on needling oversight and practice under the tutelage of a Master. Physical Therapist do not have this training. So I will have to say NO to Physical Therapist and Dry Needling.

 

Dry needling is an isolated practice from a single chapter, from a single book from the encyclopedia of medical science, experiences, wisdom and knowledge. Offering an miserable patient a single chapter from the encyclopedia of wisdom in my view just short of malpractice. Physical Therapist not fully trained in even one book. So I will have to say NO to Physical Therapist and Dry Needling.

 

My view is from this background:

I’ve been in primary care for over 30 years and I’ve had a full spectrum of front-line experiences from walk-in clinics, emergency rooms and in solo practice. About 18 years ago, I added Acupuncture, wow was a valuable tool for the treatment of everyday aches and pain!! Within that time I also added in many other option that were not taught in medical school all under the heading: Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAMs). All are science-based, safe, non-toxic, no narcotic, no surgery and if used properly can be potentially curative. Meaning all long-term pain problems can be treated to resolution of the pain based on the patient's testimony.

 

These are all my soft tissue treatments which I use to "remove" long-term pain with a certainty that is impossible to accomplish without them: 1. Cold Lasers, IR heat, cold-heat treatments. 2. Spinal, joint adjustments, spray and stretch and active tissue release. 3. Joe Helms; French Energetic, Mark Seems, Fire Needling and other variations on Acupuncture. 4. Dry needling, GunnIMS, Wet needling as per Travell-Simons-Rachlin. 5. Tendon and ligament Injections. 6. Biopuncture or the injection of herbals, Steroid Injections, Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma Injections.

Having a possible of a mechanism of action is powerful and makes all of the difference! A MoA can secure the science behind the cause and location of pain + the solution of pain leading to a resolution of that pain. So based on Gunn-Cannon’s Law of Denervation there are 3? or 4 mechanism of action concepts which can be conceived:

1. The primary MoA is based on the surface muscle stimulating, igniting, re-igniting natural healing from within the involved muscle tissues.

2. The second MoA is based on #1 but internally into muscle bundles so called IntraMuscular Stimulation (IMS) of muscle bundles. This added concept of a metallic thin wire “reset tool” which will reset/reboot severely contracted muscles by chemical-electro-mechanical means as per Gunn-Cannon. Plus you can also manually perform the work of #1 with an added benefit; stimulating, igniting, re-igniting plus with a longer reach. The long needles allows you to reach farther thus you are able to stimulate, reach, probe and search down to bone without doing harm.

3. The third MoA is based on #1 and #2 plus with the cutting action of a hypodermic needles. The hypodermic needles adds in the idea of cutting, slicing the super densely packed, contracted muscles which refuse to be pulled, moved or even rebooted. Thus you cut the binding stubborn muscle fibers for reprocessing.

4. The 4th MoA is the idea of multiple layering, combining or sequencing of #1 + #2 + #3. This final means is the ultimate application of the necessary force to push the natural healing powers to the maximum. If done with skill the patients still can not be harmed.

 

CAMs and needles as they relate to our failing healthcare system:

The primary or #1 reason why there are so many failed surgery procedures for pain, why we have opiate abuses, overdoses and deaths is directly linked the violation of a natural law of science and biology. Factually the most common primary location of pain is in the soft tissue layers of the body mostly in muscles.

 

The treatment for painful muscles have been and alway will be hand-on old fashioned physical therapy: massage, stretching, spinal adjustments, kneading, needling, heat, time and effort. Repeat as needed.

 

Factually:

1. The most common located pain is in the soft tissue layers of the body.

2. Soft tissues are the only place where long-term pain can be generated.

3. The skeleton, nerves and vessels cannot be the primary location of pain due to the laws of nature.

4. The skeleton does not project pain unless it is broken by a high level force.

Falsely or the breaking of this natural law:

1. The believe, idea and promotion of the deception that the most common location of pain is in the joints and skeletal structures.

2. Falsely the belief that pain is exactly located at the site of the defects on the MRI; at the vertebra and disc is not logical. Thus any surgery aimed at the repair, removal or rearrangement of these structure will yield haphazard and very poor longterm relief of pain.

In reality the science has alway pointed to a single source of chronic pain;  Soft tissues; the layers from the skin to the bone; skin, subcutaneous fat, facial, muscles and bone surface + nerves, vessels and lymphatics. This sandwich is like the layers of a flack vest which deflects all of the trials, tribulations, falls and slips of life and living. These layers will accumulate damages which turn on a pain signal to remind us that we need to help ourselves. We have a daily obligation to massage and stretch out the wrinkles from our muscles.

Thus a perfect and proper cause and effect equation: 1 problem (muscle related or “pain”) + kneading or needling sessions = resolution of the problem - is what this is all about. Have an absolute treatment for the most common cause to apin is profoundly beneficial to our society. But some do not want you to know this.

The bad and ugly or my cynical side:

This view is based on real world stabs in the back from those who wish to betray Acupuncture, dry and wet needling and all alternatives. There is subterfuge going on.

Here are a few other unethical practices that are being perpetuated by those who wish to deceive the public of the vastness of complementary and alternative medicine, Acupuncture and dry needling:

This game plan or gimmick was used by the AMA to negate Chiropractic care. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilk_v._American_Medical_Ass%27n

 

This is a sham or stratagem is a way to negate Acupuncture presently.https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-doesnt-work/

 

These stunts, shenanigans and boobytraps are all an effort to negate that soft tissues are the exact location of everyday aches and pains. http://www.bodyinmind.org/dry-needling-myofascial-pain/

This part of the hoax or ploy are all related to the denial of muscles, tender point and trigger points as valid to be treated. Thus negating that soft tissues need to be treated and that we should just continue to use the status quo of only using pill and the knife to treat pain.

 

So no way that I will allow these tricksters and profiteers to slip on past the public, all for the sake of money.

 

My authors: Gunn, Travell & Simons', Rachlin, Hackett, Helms, Seems, Rapson, Lennard, Burke, DiFabio and Pybus, Baldry, Mann, B.J./D.D. Palmer, CraigPENS as per William F Craig, M.D. and Chaitow.