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Notice of Proposed Dry Needling Regulatory Action
Proposed Action 10.38.12 - Dry Needling has been added to the Maryland Register

To review the proposed action, please see Volume 53, Issue 11 of the ​Maryland Register.

Read an Overview of the Proposed Changes

Opportunity for Public Comment
Comments may be sent to Jordan Fisher Blotter, Director, Office of Regulation and Policy Coordination, Maryland Department of Health, 201 West Preston Street, Room 534, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, or call 410-767-0938, or email to mdh.regs@maryland.gov. Comments will be accepted through June 29, 2026. A public hearing has not been scheduled.

Overview of Proposed Changes – Subtitle 38 BOARD OF PHYSICAL THERAPY EXAMINERS  | 10.38.12 Dry Needling

Expand Provider Scope: Add explicit authority for Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs) to practice dry needling under appropriate supervision.

Update Education and Training Requirements: Clarify and refine the minimum education and training standards required to safely perform dry needling, including specifying hours for instruction and practical, hands-on training.

  • Immediate Practice Post-Graduation: Physical Therapists (PTs) will be permitted to practice dry needling immediately upon graduation, provided they have completed the required foundational training.
  • Provisional Registration Pathway: Rather than waiting, candidates who complete a minimum of 10 hours of in-person theory education and 10 hours of hands-on instruction can apply for a provisional registration. This allows them to begin practicing dry needling within their competency while they work to complete the remaining 60 hours of required instruction over a 2-year period.
  • Pre-Graduation Education Accepted: The Board is also shifting to accept dry needling coursework completed during a physical therapy student’s
    graduate education, rather than strictly requiring post-graduate education.
  • Note on PTAs: While the post-graduation delay is removed for PTs, the proposed rules introduce a requirement that Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs)—who are gaining the authority to perform dry needling under these changes—must have 2 years of prior clinical practice before they can perform the intervention

Introduce Provisional Registration: Establish a provisional registration process allowing physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to practice dry needling while meeting full registration requirements.

Establish Continuing Education (CE): Implement a brand-new regulation specifying ongoing continuing education requirements for practitioners to maintain their dry needling registration.

Update Definitions: Modernize and clarify key terms within the regulation (such as defining “CE Hour,” “Provisional Registration,” and “Registrant”).

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