Ten Things You Need to Know About Trigger Point Dry Needling!

First of all if you do not know what Trigger Point Dry Needling is please refer this blog entry written by Dr. Yoo:

Dr. Yoo's Blog about Trigger point dry needling

• Dry needling (DN) is a skilled intervention used by physical therapists that uses a thin solid needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying trigger points, muscular, and connective tissues to improve pain and increase mobility and helps to restore normal movement.

• The goal of dry needling treatment is to deactivate trigger points (knots) to facilitate the rehabilitation process of musculoskeletal dysfunction

• Physical therapists have been performing dry needling in the United States for the past 25+ years, according to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
• Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation is recognized as one of the 10 essential health benefits by law under the Affordable Care Act
• Dry needling is confirmed to be within PT scope in 25 states and Washington DC.
• In a November 2012 letter to APTA, CNA, an underwriting company of physical therapy professional liability insurance, reviewed their claims database specific to the issue of dry needling and reported that there are no trends relative to dry needling that would indicate this procedure presents a significant risk factor, nor does CNA foresee the practice of dry needling as having any immediate claim or rate impact
• There have been no patient safety complaints (or injuries) reported to the NJ State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners about physical therapists performing dry needling.
• A study published in 2010 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine by an MD and a PhD concluded that “[Dry needlings] effectiveness has been confirmed in numerous studies and 2 comprehensive systematic reviews.  Dry needling can be used as part of complex treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain…”
• Dry needling is only part of a comprehensive physical therapy program which includes neuromuscular, manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, postural correction, movement re-education, etc.
• Dry needling is strictly based on Western medicine principles and research and has nothing to do with Eastern medicine and acupuncture.