Utah

On April 1, 2014, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert signed new legislation specifying that dry needling is included in the scope of practice for licensed physical therapists (PTs) in Utah. The amended statutes require 54 hour “in-person” instructional hours, at least 300 total course hours with 250 supervised patient treatment sessions. Furthermore, the amendment stipulates that the physical therapist has to be practicing for 2 years prior to performing “trigger point dry needling”.

In January 2011, the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing concluded that “the performance of trigger point dry needling is outside the scope of practice of a physical therapist in the State of Utah”. The Bureau Manager continued with “Utah Code 5B-24b-102 (11)(b) prohibits physical therapists from performing acupuncture. The Division’s research regarding the practice of trigger point dry needling confirms that it is the practice of acupuncture. Therefore, the Division finds that it is outside the scope of practice of physical therapists in Utah”.