Georgia

Dry Needling Rulings

• In Georgia, physical therapists (PTs) and PT Compact Privilege holders must gain explicit approval from the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy before performing dry needling. Specific dry needling licensure requirements in Georgia include:
  • Active Licensure: You must hold a valid, active PT license or PT Compact Privilege in the state.
  • Education Hours: You must complete a minimum of 50 hours of didactic and hands-on dry needling coursework.
  • Competency Assessment: The curriculum must include a formal competency assessment.
  • OSHA Certification: Proof of education/training in the OSHA Blood Borne Pathogens Standard is required.
  • To officially add a dry needling designation to your license, you must submit your documentation to the CE Broker system, which the Georgia Board utilizes to track this credential. [1]If you hold a Compact Privilege, your proof of education and OSHA training must be submitted directly to the Board in PDF format via email to PLB-Healthcare2@sos.ga.gov
• On May 12, 2011, the Governor of Georgia signed the Bill into law, effective July 1, 2011. Georgia became the first state in the United States where dry needling is part of the Physical Therapy Statutes.
• In February 2011, Representatives Cooper and Lindsey introduced a House, stating that dry needling is also an intervention used by physical therapists. The Bill passed the House of Representatives and was moved to the Senate, which approved the Bill in April 2011.
• In July 2010, the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy met with the Georgia Composite Medical Board, and both boards agreed to collaborate to resolve the dry needling problem.
• After the Acupuncture Statutes were modified in 2009 by including a sentence that “dry needling is a technique of acupuncture,” the Medical Board, at the request of the acupuncture board, began to issue cease and desist orders, and the Georgia Attorney General ruled that dry needling would therefore no longer be allowed by physical therapists.
• In 2008, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which oversees the practice of acupuncture, rewrote its practice act.
• In October 2004, the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy suggested that dry needling would be within the scope of physical therapy practice.