Kotek Considers Veto of Bill Allowing Physical Therapists to Perform Dry Needling

Physical therapists are at odds with acupuncturists over an Oregon bill that Gov. Tina Kotek said she may veto this week.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Kim Wallen and passed with bipartisan support, would expand the scope of work physical therapists are allowed to perform under Oregon law. But the specific provision Kotek’s staff says she is scrutinizing—and which has drawn scores of often-critical public comments—concerns a particular acupuncture-like therapy.

It’s called “dry needling,” and a core question in the fight over House Bill 3824 is exactly how acupuncture-like it is. Many Oregon physical therapists want to be allowed to use the technique as a non-pharmacological treatment for pain and to facilitate movement, just as their colleagues are already permitted to do in the