04/30/2026
🪡 Let’s talk about needles and double standards in Kentucky. 🪡
In Kentucky, becoming a licensed acupuncturist requires completing a minimum of 1,800 hours of education — including 300 clinical hours — from an ACAOM-accredited program, plus passing the rigorous NCCAOM national board exam. (Source: KRS 311.671–311.686 )
Meanwhile, a physical therapist in Kentucky can pick up a needle and perform dry needling with no state-mandated minimum training hours- the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy simply says they need “requisite training, expertise, and experience” without defining what that means. (Source: Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy FAQ, pt.ky.gov)
Athletic trainers in Kentucky? 54 classroom hours of BOC-approved training and they’re cleared to needle. (Source: Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer, bocatc.org)
And chiropractors? The Kentucky Association of Chiropractors lists a board-approved dry needling course clocking in at just 12 hours of CE credit - the equivalent of one year’s standard renewal requirement. (Source: Kentucky Association of Chiropractors CE listings, kac.ce21.com)
So let me get this straight: the practitioners who trained for years specifically in needle technique, point location, safety, and whole-body medicine are the most heavily regulated, while others can insert needles into human bodies after a weekend course or with no defined standard at all?
This isn’t about whether dry needling works. It’s about the glaring inconsistency in how Kentucky regulates who gets to hold the needle.
Acupuncturists didn’t spend 1,800+ hours in school for this. 📚 and that’s just the minimum. Many of us, including me, had over 3000 hours of post graduate training before completing our degrees. So what’s the difference between acupuncture and dry needling? Just a few thousand hours of training and experience to even get your foot in the door.