I am fully in support of trained physical therapists to utilize the technique of dry needling.  As a physician assistant in a top level spine practice, we strive to offer the best and most innovative care to our patients, especially care that can keep them functional and hopefully out of the operating room.  We have many patients and staff (as patients) that have benefited over the years from the myofascial effects of dry needling, in addition to other forms of manual therapy.  I have yet to encounter a patient that was harmed by this technique, and I have seen very few patients that this technique did not benefit at least somewhat.  To be fair, we have also had patients that have benefited from accupuncture, which is also offered at our practice, however this is used much more limitedly because insurance often does not cover this service.  I find that the opinions listed here, mostly by licensed accupuncturists, are likely financially biased as they are concerned about physical therapists encroaching on practices that they wish to exclusively bill for.  This is reminiscent of the lobbying that nurse practitioners did against licensing physician assistants in the past, especially in the southern United States, when we were considered a threat to the job market for them.  Accupuncture offers potential benefit for a number of medical conditions, not just myofascial, and in spinal medicine, dry needling and accupunture are considered two separate entities that serve different purposes.  Focus on needling for myofascial complaints likely would not require the large amount of training hours mentioned by the practicing accupuncturists as they are not attempting to treat this wide variety of medical conditions.  Certainly, regulation and training are essential to provide standards for safety and appropriate treatment, and I support this fully.  However, banning properly trained physical therapists from offering a beneficial service to patients that may reduce their need for further expense to the already high cost of healthcare is inappropriate.