Tennessee committee clears bill letting athletic trainers perform dry needling with training and board rules

The House Health Full Committee on Thursday approved House Bill 62, amended to set training and competency requirements for athletic trainers who use dry needling as a treatment modality.

Sponsor remarks and witnesses framed the bill as a patient-care expansion for student athletes and others treated by athletic trainers. Bryce Sawyer, head athletic trainer at the University of Memphis, told the committee dry needling “is a technique used by health care providers to address pain movement issues, particularly those associated with myofascial trigger points,” and that it “helps alleviate pain and increase range of motion.”

The legislation authorizes an athletic trainer who has obtained the required training and certification to use dry needling and other physical modalities “for the…