Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Physical Therapy
 
chapter
Regulations Governing the Practice of Physical Therapy [18 VAC 112 ‑ 20]
Action Practice of dry needling
Stage NOIRA
Comment Period Ended on 12/30/2015
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12/24/15  3:59 pm
Commenter: Konrad Sy

dry needling encroaching on the specialty of acupuncturists
 

Acupuncture along with dry needling is within the scope of an acupuncturist, this is where the specialization of an acupuncturist lies, this is where the acupuncturist obtains his/her license specifically for.

For the "best care" one can give a patient, will it not be better to let the acupuncturists handle this? Full time acupuncturists handle acupuncture needles on a daily basis, acupuncture needles happen to be their main modality of therapy. So acupuncturists are the "experts" here in this regards.

Is there really a shortage of acupuncturists that physical therapists now have the need to do dry needling? Would not a referral to a specialist be better for the patient? Do physical therapists not have enough treatment modalities that they also need to encroach on the specialty of acupuncturists?

CommentID: 47185