Functional Dry Needling has not only helped me personally recover from injury, but has helped countless patients recover as well.  We are currently living in an age where health care costs are rising and many people are paying astronomical co-pays and deductibles.   I began training to dry needle in order to more efficiently address muscular issues in order to better  re-train a patients overall way of movement.  At no time to I indicate that I am performing acupuncture.  In fact, I have referred patients for acupuncture that I felt to be candidates for that treatment and explain in detail to my patients the difference in the two treatments.  I have seen patients once weekly for dry needling and exercise progression that improved quicker than patients I was seeing for the same diagnosis three times a week for the same diagnosis who were not interested in needling.  I have helped to reduce the cost of their healthcare  by providing a skill that I have been thoroughly trained to provide.  As PT's, we have extensive knowledge of the human body and according to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, 86% of the knowledge we need to perform dry needling is obtrained during entry level education in PT schools.  My training was thorough, the student to teacher ratio was appropriate and safety was always first.  I spend an hour with my patients taking thorough histories, performing special tests and evaluating their movement before deciding on a treatment plan.  Though the device used to treat a patient with dry needling is like that of acupuncture, that is where the similarity ends.  I am inserting needles into trigger points, which are hyperirritable spots in muscles, to elicit a twitch response and thus reduce muslce tension and improve muscle firing.  This is not unlike other treatments that I have used to acheive a similar result.  With PTs being throghouly educated within the university setting, taking the required number of hours of continuing education to dry needle and then properly evaluating a patient before impimenting treatment, they are more than qualified to use dry needling to treat patients.  Not only do I want my patients to improve, but I appreciate that I can do my part to help reduce the cost of their care and I have done that for many of my patients.  Please consider the impact that would be had if PTs were no longer allowed to perform this treatment.  Type over this text and enter your comments here. You are limited to approximately 3000 words