As an attorney that practices in the area of personal injury, and as a person who suffers from muscular pain related to old injuries, I can attest that dry needling, as performed by PTs works.  The practice should be allowed to be performed by PTs in the future and is a benefit to all patients suffering from muscular pain.

Let's be clear, dry needling IS NOT accupuncture.  While they may seem similar (and it took me a lot of reading, discussion and finally having it performed on my to understand this), the benefits of dry needling far exceed any benefit of accupuncture.  Also, PTs are highly trained and understand the physiology of the human body.  They know what muscles work together and that pain in one area can be caused by an issue in another.  This allows them to perform the procedure in a safe and effective manner.  They specialize in the neurological, muscular and skeletal workings of the human body, so they know what they are dealing with and doing.

Second, I have witnessed and personally experienced the benefits of dry needling performed by a PT.  Clients have raved that nothing helped until they underwent the procedure and that it sped up the recovery time over classic treatments such as massage and exercise (though it worked best with combined with those modalities).  I finally experienced dry needling when dealing with a lower back injury where I could barely walk.  Within a few sessions of dry needling I was able to move almost as if nothing had happened.  So the procedure is a true benefit to patients with such injuries.

Finally, the regulations proposed by the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy are drafted in a way to sufficiently protect the public safety and should be fully enacted.