Washington
Now that dry needling is within the scope of physical therapy in Washington State, the Washington State Department of Health has endorsed over 120 physical therapists to use dry needling in their clinics. Considering that there are approximately 7,660 physical therapists in the state, only about 1.5% of eligible PTs have taken advantage of the expanded scope of practice. Dry needling is used mainly by orthopedic and sports physical therapists and increasingly by neuro PTs. Physical therapists working in other subspecialties, such as cardiovascular or pediatrics, are not likely to take dry needling courses. Nevertheless, most potential candidates have not yet completed their dry needling education. During the recent APTA Combined Sections conference, we met several PTs from Washington State unaware that dry needling is within the scope of practice!
California
The State of California is one of a few states where physical therapists are not allowed to use dry needling. During the March 19, 2025, meeting of the Physical Therapy Board of California dry needling was on the agenda. Leslie Adrian & Michelle Sigmund-Gaines of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) presented the new findings of the National Update on Dry Needling and Analysis of Competencies for Dry Needling by Physical Therapists Review (2024), which we discussed in a previous blog. Physical Therapists at the Veteran’s Administration in Palo Alto, California also gave a presentation about Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN). Dry needling is within the scope of physical therapists employed by the Federal Government even in states where civilian PTs are not allowed to use dry needling. It is too soon to speculate whether soon dry needling may be within the scope of PT practice in California, but we are getting excited about the prospects.
