Acupuncture and dry needling should only be performed by fully trained acupuncturists for the safety of patients. Licensed Acupuncturists require over 3,000 hours in training in needle location, needle safety (depth and angle), and have had very, very few patients with adverse reactions nationwide. 

Allowing any health care practitioner to perform acupuncture or dry needling without proper training puts our patients and our profession at risk.  If other health care practitioners, such as physical therapists, MDs, chiropractors, etc. would like to practice dry needling, I believe they should do a full 3-4 year training program with over 3,000 hours and apply for acupuncture licensure the  in their state.

Dry needling is acupuncture by another name. They both use fine filiform needles that are inserted into trigger points to relieve tension and pain. The practice of dry needling should follow the same rigorous training and licensing requirements as acupuncture. 

Currently physical therapists in Virginia are only required 54 hours of training to perform dry needling. 54 hours versus 3,000 hours is a huge variance in training. Safety and effectiveness should be the most important part of this decision.