The Georgia
Composite Medical Board who licenses physicians and acupuncturists says that,
“Dry needling is a technique of the practice of acupuncture.” Ga. Code §
43-34-62(4) and the American Medical Association (AMA) has stated that dry
needling is indistinguishable from acupuncture. Acupuncture needles are used in dry
needling.
The term dry
needling was coined by physicians Travell and Simon when researching pain
reduction using hypodermic needles. They were unaware that the techniques of stimulating
the ashi and trigger/motor points had been being performed by traditional
Chinese medicine practitioners for thousands of years.
These tender
and painful points are located in muscles and connective tissues and were first
identified by Sun Si-Miao (581-682 AD). Treatment protocols for these complaints
were described in the Huangdi Neijing textbook of acupuncture written in 111
AD.
Physical
therapists in the state of Georgia only need 50 hours of training to perform dry
needling on their patients. Medical doctors and osteopaths must complete a 300
hour board approved course in order to practice acupuncture in Georgia.
In contrast,
licensed acupuncturists generally have 870 hours of clinic training before taking
their board exams. Additional
training is in:
- Didactic
Oriental Herbal Studies-450 hours
- Biomedicine-510
hours
- Oriental Medicine/Acupuncture Theory-705 hours
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, the professional organization of physician acupuncturists official policy is that "this procedure should be performed only by practitioners with extensive training...such as licensed medical physicians or licensed acupuncturists. "
