The bill has officially passed and I am genuinely overwhelmed by what you helped accomplish. This outcome is entirely down to the persistence of everyone who signed and believed in this change. I have a lot to process right now but please know that this result belongs to all of …
March 11, 2023
Support Dry Needling in Maryland
Final supporters
Dear Chair, Vice-Chair, and Members of the Committee:
I am writing in Support of SB 232/HB 172- LICENSED ATHLETIC TRAINERS- DRY NEEDLING APPROVAL.
Athletic Training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.
Athletic Trainers are licensed and board certified health care professionals with, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from an accredited institution. More than 70% of the profession has a master’s degree or higher level of education, and the profession now requires a master’s level degree for entry.
Dry Needling is a modality used when hands and fingers are unable to palpate all of a soft tissue, especially deeper layers of muscles.
Maryland COMAR 10.38.12.02 defines Dry Needling as an intramuscular manual therapy that involves the insertion of one or more solid needles, a mechanical device, into the muscle and related tissues to affect change in muscle and related tissues; Deactivation of the trigger points and related tissue can bring immediate relief of symptoms, which cannot be obtained by any other treatment.
Maryland COMAR already has language differentiating between Acupuncture and Dry Needling.
Qualified athletic trainers in 28 other states and the District of Columbia are allowed to use this skill on their athletes. The skill of Dry Needling is one that is shared with other medical professionals such as physical therapists, chiropractors, and physicians. With appropriate training, athletic trainers are very well prepared to administer dry needling treatments. Most courses last over a four-day span which involve over 25 hours of coursework and hands on practice which included other health professionals like physical therapists and chiropractors.
Currently, athletic trainers are unable to use dry needling as a course of treatment for their patients because it is not included in the MD Practice Act. As a result, many Athletic Trainers, including in the university settings, are hindered in their ability to provide a high standard of care to their current student-athletes. This places Maryland athletes at a disadvantage because they cannot otherwise receive dry needling in a manner that easily accommodates their already demanding class and practice schedules. Passing this bill would allow certain Athletic Trainers the ability to administer dry needling to their patients, which many may have done in another state before coming to Maryland.
Additionally, Athletic Trainers who work for national governing bodies and US Olympic teams are guided by their home state practice act. So limiting dry needling from Athletic Trainers licensed in Maryland will also have a potential international impact and could limit local Athletic Trainers from being selected as Health Care Providers supporting these athletes.
For these reasons, I respectfully request a favorable vote on both HB 172 and SB 232.
Sincerely,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
February 6, 2023
28 Comments
Athletic Trainers are licensed and certified health care professionals who are highly educated in the use of many therapeutic interventions. Over 28 statues currently permit athletic trainers to use dry needling in the therapeutic treatment of their patients. I fully support legislation to allow licensed athletic trainers in the state of MD to utilize dry needling in their practice after obtaining appropriate training and certification. It is critical that the state of MD stays current with best practices and allows licensed athletic trainers to practice dry needling as an effective treatment option. Please support this bill!
Our athletic training students learn about this effective, evidence based treatment option but are then left frustrated when they also learn it's not a certification they can pursue when they want to stay and work in Maryland post graduation. As an AT educator and program director at Towson University, it's critical our students have the same opportunities as other accredited programs. Please support this bill!
I support Dry Needling for Athletic Trainers as an AT who is certified in dry needling I can when traveling with my teams to your state but my colleagues in Maryland may not. again this is within the scope for an AT
As a duly credentialed healthcare provider - athletic trainer and physical therapist, I support this legislation and quite frankly could not understand for the life of me why we wouldnt want our athletic trainers who are more than capable and qualified to use a proven effective technique that has shown to have minimal adverse reactions
Providing care to police officers I found dry needling very helpful in keeping officers on the job at no risk to themselves or others.
I am concerned about the safety of the clients of athletic trainers with inadequate training inserting needles. This is a very bad idea!
It is imperative for any scope of practice regulation change that there be both demonstrated need as well as clear and defined standards of practice for education, verification and continuing education. It is vital that we look at standards of practice: if medical doctors need to have at least 300 hours of training to become a part of the American Academy of medical acupuncture, and pass a third-party national exam, it is vital that any allied health professionals have more hours than an MD, who already has experience with needles And have to pass a third-party national psychometric exam to demonstrate competency in the ability not to harm.
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The bill has officially passed and I am genuinely overwhelmed by what you helped accomplish. This outcome is entirely down to the persistence of everyone who signed and believed in this change. I have a lot to process right now but please know that this result belongs to all of …
March 11, 2023
Support Dry Needling in Maryland
Final supporters
Dear Chair, Vice-Chair, and Members of the Committee:
I am writing in Support of SB 232/HB 172- LICENSED ATHLETIC TRAINERS- DRY NEEDLING APPROVAL.
Athletic Training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.
Athletic Trainers are licensed and board certified health care professionals with, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from an accredited institution. More than 70% of the profession has a master’s degree or higher level of education, and the profession now requires a master’s level degree for entry.
Dry Needling is a modality used when hands and fingers are unable to palpate all of a soft tissue, especially deeper layers of muscles.
Maryland COMAR 10.38.12.02 defines Dry Needling as an intramuscular manual therapy that involves the insertion of one or more solid needles, a mechanical device, into the muscle and related tissues to affect change in muscle and related tissues; Deactivation of the trigger points and related tissue can bring immediate relief of symptoms, which cannot be obtained by any other treatment.
Maryland COMAR already has language differentiating between Acupuncture and Dry Needling.
Qualified athletic trainers in 28 other states and the District of Columbia are allowed to use this skill on their athletes. The skill of Dry Needling is one that is shared with other medical professionals such as physical therapists, chiropractors, and physicians. With appropriate training, athletic trainers are very well prepared to administer dry needling treatments. Most courses last over a four-day span which involve over 25 hours of coursework and hands on practice which included other health professionals like physical therapists and chiropractors.
Currently, athletic trainers are unable to use dry needling as a course of treatment for their patients because it is not included in the MD Practice Act. As a result, many Athletic Trainers, including in the university settings, are hindered in their ability to provide a high standard of care to their current student-athletes. This places Maryland athletes at a disadvantage because they cannot otherwise receive dry needling in a manner that easily accommodates their already demanding class and practice schedules. Passing this bill would allow certain Athletic Trainers the ability to administer dry needling to their patients, which many may have done in another state before coming to Maryland.
Additionally, Athletic Trainers who work for national governing bodies and US Olympic teams are guided by their home state practice act. So limiting dry needling from Athletic Trainers licensed in Maryland will also have a potential international impact and could limit local Athletic Trainers from being selected as Health Care Providers supporting these athletes.
For these reasons, I respectfully request a favorable vote on both HB 172 and SB 232.
Sincerely,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
February 6, 2023
28 Comments
I have a family member who treats in another state with dry Needling and I have family members who have received excellent results from this treatment.
Athletic Trainers are licensed and certified health care professionals who are highly educated in the use of many therapeutic interventions. Over 28 statues currently permit athletic trainers to use dry needling in the therapeutic treatment of their patients. I fully support legislation to allow licensed athletic trainers in the state of MD to utilize dry needling in their practice after obtaining appropriate training and certification. It is critical that the state of MD stays current with best practices and allows licensed athletic trainers to practice dry needling as an effective treatment option. Please support this bill!
Our athletic training students learn about this effective, evidence based treatment option but are then left frustrated when they also learn it's not a certification they can pursue when they want to stay and work in Maryland post graduation. As an AT educator and program director at Towson University, it's critical our students have the same opportunities as other accredited programs. Please support this bill!
I support Dry Needling for Athletic Trainers as an AT who is certified in dry needling I can when traveling with my teams to your state but my colleagues in Maryland may not. again this is within the scope for an AT
As a duly credentialed healthcare provider - athletic trainer and physical therapist, I support this legislation and quite frankly could not understand for the life of me why we wouldnt want our athletic trainers who are more than capable and qualified to use a proven effective technique that has shown to have minimal adverse reactions
Providing care to police officers I found dry needling very helpful in keeping officers on the job at no risk to themselves or others.
I am concerned about the safety of the clients of athletic trainers with inadequate training inserting needles. This is a very bad idea!
It is imperative for any scope of practice regulation change that there be both demonstrated need as well as clear and defined standards of practice for education, verification and continuing education. It is vital that we look at standards of practice: if medical doctors need to have at least 300 hours of training to become a part of the American Academy of medical acupuncture, and pass a third-party national exam, it is vital that any allied health professionals have more hours than an MD, who already has experience with needles And have to pass a third-party national psychometric exam to demonstrate competency in the ability not to harm.
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I have a family member who treats in another state with dry Needling and I have family members who have received excellent results from this treatment.