Physical therapists utilizing DN are specially trained in safe effective use of needles to decrease pain and improve resting tone of hyperirritable muscles. Safety is ensured because DN practitioners have very specific education in the structures around each muscle that they needle in order not to damage any surrounding tissue.   In order to perform DN as a PT, you are required to be under the order of an MD which also ensures that it is safe and used only on patients deemed by their physician to need it.  Many of my patients have had marked improvement following DN. I find it especially useful for those patients who have plateaued with traditional treatment methods.  It would be detrimental to patient progress to remove this very effective treatment modality from tthe practice of highly trained physical therapists. .