ICA voices opposition to adding dry needling to DCs’ scope of practice

On Feb. 14, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) submitted a letter from ICA President Selina Sigafoose Jackson, DC, FICA,
to Florida State Representatives opposing a suggested expansion to specifically include dry needling in the Florida doctor of chiropractic’s scope of practice, according to an ICA press release.

The proposed legislation, “HB 1063 Practice of Chiropractic Medicine,” introduced by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky and Rep. Allison Tant, would add language allowing Florida DCs to utilize dry needling to treat trigger points and myofascial pain after completing a required 40-hour in-person certification course. (The legislation would also address a separate issue: allowing for an alternative means of satisfying the current DC licensing requirement of having a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university.)

The ICA opposes the passing of the legislation, it notes, because it considers dry needling, a procedure in which the practitioner inserts thin, medication-free needles into a patient’s tissues to relieve pain and increase blood flow, to be an invasive technique, unbacked by evidence substantial enough to support its inherent risks to both doctor and patient. The organization said it does not believe the technique is necessary to meet patients’ needs.

The letter references several research studies into dry needling’s efficacy and potential adverse effects and cites several malpractice cases resulting from patients being injured during administration of the technique.

“Nowhere within the definition of chiropractic in the Florida statute does or should inserting needles fit into the science, art, and philosophy of the chiropractic profession,” the ICA’s letter stated.

The ICA’s full letter is linked in the press release.

It is currently unclear whether dry needling is included in Florida DCs’ legally defined scope of practice as it is not specifically mentioned. The Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA) has asserted that a plain reading of Chapter 460 of Florida’s legal code, combined with the fact that dry needling can be done by physical therapists and athletic trainers, indicates dry needling has always been within Florida DCs’ scope of practice. The Florida Chiropractic Physician Association agrees, while the Florida Chiropractic Society remains opposed.

In November 2023, the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine failed to rule on the issue, as noted in an FCA press release.

Most U.S. states either allow or, like Florida, have no specific language about dry needling in their chiropractic scope of practice laws, according to ChiroNeedle, a dry needling education provider. Dry needling by DCs is currently prohibited in Alabama, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

For ongoing updates on this and other legislative issues affecting the chiropractic profession, visit chiroeco.com/news-and-wires.