Dry Needling Rulings
Oregon
Is Dry Needling Legal in Oregon?
Resources
- According to the Oregon Licensing Board Director, it may take unitl July 1, 2027 to finalize the requirements and implements all the requirements of the new law.
- On August 7, 2025, Oregon governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 3824 into law. According to the Governor, The bill updates the standards for physical therapist practice in the state of Oregon. The bill includes new provisions that provide the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy (Board) with greater ability to enforce and encourage competence and adherence to license requirements, including safe and ethical conduct in relation to a patient. These provisions, specifically sections 9(5), 17, and 21, strengthen public and patient protection. Section 5 of House Bill 3824 permits physical therapists to perform dry needling as described by the Board by administrative rule, including the establishment of training requirements to ensure a physical therapist can competently perform dry needling. I write today to identify concerns with and outline a process for implementation of section 5. Opponents of Section 5 shared concerns with my office that the proliferation of dry needling will undermine the acupuncture profession, that standards and definitions of dry needling vary across the country, and that acupuncturists complete considerable training hours and education necessary to perform safe needle insertion as a licensee of the Oregon Medical Board. Opponents also raised concerning questions about the cultural framing related to dry needling that are viewed as erroneous and offensive to the origins of acupuncture. I also heard from many physical therapists who identified a desire to leverage all tools available to support patient recovery and pain management and who pointed to historic use of dry needing in physical therapy practice outside of Oregon. Interest in this section is outsized compared to the legislative direction provided. In response, I am directing the Board to actively consult with the Oregon Medical Board when adopting rules to ensure that the practice of dry needling has limited application to the practice of musculoskeletal pain and movement resolution and that an appropriate training standard is adopted. I am further directing the Board to prioritize rulemakings for all other sections of the bill and to coordinate with the Oregon Medical Board to establish appropriate stakeholder listening sessions, workgroups, or rule advisory committees related to Section 5 so that there is designated time and opportunity for all parties to fully participate. Upon rules adoption by the Board, I am also directing the Department of Consumer and Business Services' Division of Financial Regulation to issue a bulletin to clarify that dry needling performed by a physical therapist does not constitute acupuncture for the purposes of Insurance Code requirements for coverage of acupuncture. Health plans will need to consider how and whether to include expanded services offered by physical therapists.
- On June 26, 2025, the Oregon Senate passed Bill 3824. On June 27, 2025, the House concurred in the Senate amendments and repassed the bill.
- On April 22, 2025, the Oregon House of Representatives approved Bill 3824. Next, the bill moved to the Oregon Senate for consideration. The bill was amended, but the Senate has not yet voted on the bill. Once the Senate approves the bill, it will need to be returned to the House due to the amendments. Once the House approves the bill in its amended form, it is set to take effect 91 days after the legislative session concludes, assuming the Governor signs the bill into law.
- On May 17, 2017, the Attorney General of Oregon issued a statement that dry needling is not within the scope of practice of a physical therapist licensed in Oregon.
- On July 17, 2013, the Court of Appeals of the State of Oregon concluded that dry needling is not within the practice of chiropractic in Oregon. This ruling did not implicate dry needling by physical therapists in Oregon.
- In July 2011, the Oregon Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine filed a Petition for a Judicial Review with the Court of Appeals in Oregon, which lead to the decision of the Oregon Appeals Court Commissioner to stay the dry needling rule. The Oregon Chiropractic Board shared that “Chiropractic physicians who have been certified (by the OBCE) should cease all practice of dry needling. The OBCE may not certify any new chiropractic physicians during the period of the Stay. […..] The OBCE’s dry needling rule is no longer in effect pending a full proceeding and argument before the Oregon Court of Appeals. This could be a lengthy process that could take up to a year”.
- In May 2011, the Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners approved dry needling for Oregon chiropractic physicians.
- In July 2009, the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy approved dry needling, but was immediately challenged by the Medical Board of Oregon and its Acupuncture Committee, “who voted that dry needling is the practice of acupuncture.” In response, the PT Board issued a statement that “upon further discussion and consideration, the Physical Therapy Licensing Board believes that the dry needling of trigger points is likely within the physical therapist scope of practice (excluding PTAs). The Board acknowledges that the dry needling of trigger points is an advanced intervention requiring post physical therapy graduate training and education.”The PT Board concluded its statement with “in the interest of public safety, until specific training and education parameters can be determined, the Board strongly advises its licensees to not perform dry needling of trigger points at this time”.