At my Dry Needling in Tampa, FL clinic I get multiple phone calls a week asking, “Who can perform dry needling in Florida?”. Most people say they used to get dry needling in another state (usually up north) and now they’re having a really hard time finding dry needling near me.
When it comes to getting dry needling experience matters – there’s a huge difference between a provider who just took a short weekend course that’s only 30 hours long and only does a little bit of dry needling and a provider who has a 4 year degree that is only focused on using needles.
Who can perform dry needling in Florida?
In Florida there are Acupuncturist that perform dry needling and then there is everybody else who only took a short 30 hour weekend course (Chiropractors, Physical therapists). So let’s compare and contrast the differences between the two and you can decide who you want to let put needles in you.
Acupuncturists have been licensed and allowed to perform dry needling for the longest amount of time in Florida (40+ years). Dry Needling is a specific form of Orthopedic Acupuncture that has been around for 3000 years and that is taught in acupuncture schools. An acupuncturist receives a minimum 4 years of school for a Masters Degree and has to attend a residency where they perform a large number of treatments on patients. Some acupuncturists have a 6 year Doctorate degree (like Dr. Josh Hanson) and have specialized in Orthopedic Acupuncture and Dry Needling.
Something to note is that there are different styles of acupuncture – TCM which is what most acupuncturists practice and then there is Orthopedic Acupuncture / Sports Acupuncture or Dry Needling – which is what Dr. Josh Hanson practices in Tampa, FL.
The real question is who do you want to be performing YOUR dry needling?
Someone who was trained for 4+ years and exclusively needles people for their job, or someone with a short 30 hour week course training and who sporadically uses needles.
Personally, I’ll always choose the provider with years of experience who needles 50+ patients a week (like an acupuncturist) and not the physical therapist with a short weekend course of training, who’s real job is to give you exercises.
But let’s break things down a little more, and you can make your own choice!
Let’s break down an average acupuncturists training and experience in dry needling.
- 4-6 year Masters or Doctorate degree focused on sticking needles in people
- The ability to practice dry needling in Florida for 40+ years
- Every single treatment they perform focuses on using needles to make a therapeutic change in the patient in front of them.
- I want to stress that they do not learn dry needling in a short weekend course like a physical therapist does.
In Tampa Florida Acupuncturists like Dr. Josh Hanson, DACM have been providing dry needling for years and have much more experience than any physical therapist who took a short weekend course and was just given the right to practice in 2020. Physical therapists are significantly behind when it comes to dry needling in Florida and in the Tampa region there will never be a more experienced dry needling practitioner when compared to Dr. Josh Hanson, DACM. Acupuncturists like Dr. Hanson have the most experience using needles and are able to provide the best dry needling.
Let’s break down an average physical therapists training and experience in dry needling.
- Learned dry needling in a 30 hour weekend course
- Main job is to prescribe exercises – dry needling isn’t used with every patient and is used in a very limited capacity
- Only got the right to practice dry needling in Florida in 2020 – so YEARS behind in experience and will never be able to catch up to the experience of someone like Dr. Josh Hanson, DACM in Tampa, FL.
- Generally a more painful treatment than dry needling performed by an acupuncturist since a physical therapist doesn’t have the same level of experience.
When it comes to receiving dry needling you want an experience practitioner who can use their years of clinical experience and who has performed a high volume of treatments and seen problems just like yours multiple times.
The good news
If you are looking for the most experienced dry needling in Tampa, FL then book a visit below with Dr. Josh Hanson, DACM! There’s a reason teams and players in the NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL and NBA trust Dr. Josh Hanson, DACM with their dry needling.
