12/17/2025
I have received several questions regarding T.J. Watt’s reported pneumothorax following dry needling. While I do not have access to the specific clinical details, it is important to acknowledge that pneumothorax is a known, though rare, potential complication of dry needling—particularly when performed in regions near the thoracic spine, shoulder girdle, or cervical area.
The overall risk of this complication is extremely low, especially when dry needling is performed by a properly trained and experienced clinician.
According to a systematic review published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy1, twenty major adverse events were associated with therapeutic dry needling out of 20,494 treatments performed. This is approximately 1 major adverse event per 1,024 dry needling treatments for an incidence of