We understand your frustration. Many Licensed Acupuncturists are concerned that Occupational Therapists are now authorized to perform dry needling in Florida. For many practitioners, this feels like another challenge to our profession, and those concerns are understandable.
What Changed?
In 2026, Occupational Therapists were authorized to perform dry needling after completing profession-specific training requirements. They join several other licensed healthcare professions that have already received similar authority in Florida, including Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, and Athletic Trainers.
Dry Needling Is Expanding Across the Country
Florida is not alone in this trend. Across the United States, many states now permit dry needling by healthcare professions other than Licensed Acupuncturists.
- Physical Therapists – permitted in approximately 40 states
- Chiropractors – permitted in approximately 30 states
- Athletic Trainers – permitted in approximately 28 states
- Occupational Therapists – permitted in approximately 15 states
While the exact numbers continue to change as states adopt new laws and regulations, the national trend has been toward expanding access to dry needling.
Understanding the Legislative Environment
For more than 20 years, FSOMA has worked in Tallahassee to educate legislators, advocate for the acupuncture profession, and protect our members’ interests. Through that experience, we have gained a realistic understanding of how these issues are viewed by policymakers.
Florida lawmakers have generally favored expanding patient access to healthcare services when they believe those services can be provided safely. In recent years, legislators have shown little interest in limiting another licensed healthcare profession from performing procedures that are supported by education, training, and regulatory oversight.
Once dry needling was authorized for Physical Therapists in Florida, future discussions shifted away from whether the procedure should be exclusive to Licensed Acupuncturists and toward whether other licensed professions could demonstrate appropriate education and training to perform it safely.
This does not diminish the extensive education and clinical training required to become a Licensed Acupuncturist. Rather, it reflects the policy framework that has guided legislative decisions in Florida.
Our Priority: Protecting the Practice of Acupuncture
FSOMA remains committed to protecting the full scope of practice of Licensed Acupuncturists.
Our profession is uniquely educated and licensed to provide comprehensive acupuncture care based on thousands of hours of education, supervised clinical training, and successful completion of national and state licensing requirements. Other professions are not authorized to practice acupuncture without meeting those licensure requirements.
Protecting that distinction—and defending the rights of Licensed Acupuncturists to practice at the full extent of their education and training—continues to be one of FSOMA’s highest legislative priorities.
Looking Forward
FSOMA, together with its members, invested more than $200,000 over the past decade pursuing legislative and legal efforts related to dry needling. Those efforts reflected our commitment to protecting the profession and ensuring that acupuncture remained recognized as a distinct healthcare discipline.
As the legislative environment has evolved, our advocacy must evolve as well. Today, our resources are best directed toward protecting and strengthening the profession of Licensed Acupuncturists, preserving our scope of practice, defending our statutory rights, and advancing policies that support the long-term success of acupuncture in Florida.
Be Part of the Solution
The future of our profession depends on informed and engaged practitioners.
We invite you to join FSOMA’s Legislative Committee, click here. The committee meets once each month by Zoom and provides members with the opportunity to learn how Florida’s legislative process works, discuss issues affecting the profession, and help shape FSOMA’s advocacy efforts.
Your experience, perspective, and participation can help strengthen the voice of Licensed Acupuncturists throughout Florida.
Click Here to Join the Legislative Committee Today
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