Mississippi

In October 2012, the Mississippi Attorney General issued a reconsideration and confirmed the previously expressed legal opinion that “the PT Board acted within its scope of authority.”

In September 2012, the Mississippi Attorney General issued a legal opinion that “the Physical Therapy Board acted within the scope of its authority when promulgating the proposed rule including the use of needles for therapeutic treatment as a technique within the scope of the statutory definition of the practice of physical therapy. It is also the opinion of this office that the statutes regarding the definitions of acupuncture and the unlicensed practice of acupuncture can not be used to interfere with or limit physical therapists who are performing IMT or dry needling under the licensing authority of the Physical Therapy Board”.

In September 2012, another hearing was conducted at the offices of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. Once again, Dr. Jan Dommerholt testified on behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association. Following that meeting, the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure requested a reconsideration of the Attorney General.

In July 2012, the Mississippi Board of Physical Therapy issued “Requirement for Physical Therapists to Perform Intramuscular Manual Therapy.” The decision to include dry needling in the scope of physical therapy practice was challenged by the Mississippi Council of Advisors in Acupuncture. Dr. Jan Dommerholt testified at the PT Board’s meeting on behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association. The Mississippi Council of Advisors in Acupuncture and the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure approached the Mississippi Attorney General questioning the authority of the State Board of Physical Therapy to include dry needling within the scope of practice of physical therapy.