Athletic Trainers

Plain English Breakdown

The exact training hours for certification are specified in the bill's rules and will be set by the board of athletic trainers.

Athletic Trainers Can Use Dry Needling and Physical Modalities

This law allows athletic trainers to use dry needling and physical modalities for treating sports injuries after getting proper training and certification.

What This Bill Does

• Allows athletic trainers to use dry needling and physical modalities, such as heat, light, sound, cold, electricity, or mechanical devices, for the prevention, recognition, evaluation, management, disposition, rehabilitation, and treatment of athletic injuries.
• Requires athletic trainers to be trained and certified in dry needling before they can practice it.
• Limits athletic trainers to only perform dry needling where they are competent based on their training or experience.
• Clarifies that using dry needling does not mean practicing acupuncture.
• Gives the board of athletic trainers power to make rules about dry needling and set minimum competency requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

• Athletic trainers who want to use dry needling in their practice.
• People with sports injuries treated by athletic trainers using dry needling.

Terms To Know

Dry Needling

A treatment that uses thin needles to stimulate muscles and tissues for pain relief and injury recovery.

Physical Modalities

Therapies using heat, light, sound, cold, electricity, or mechanical devices to treat injuries.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not specify the exact training hours required for dry needling certification.
• It is unclear how soon after enactment athletic trainers can start practicing dry needling.
• The board of athletic trainers will set detailed rules about dry needling practice.

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes (i) physical therapists to perform dry needling in accordance with minimum competency req
uirements set by the board of physical therapy and (ii) occupational therapists to practice dry needling of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder girdle, with proper training and certification. As used in present law, "dry needling" means a skilled interv
e
ntion that uses a thin needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying neural, muscular, and connective tissues for the management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, pain, and movement impairments.

This bill authorizes an athletic trainer to also
use dry needling for the prevention, recognition, evaluation, management, disposition, rehabilitation, and treatment of athletic injuries. However, an athletic trainer must obtain proper training and certification in order to practice dry needling and m
u
st practice only in those areas in which an athletic trainer is competent. Competency must be substantiated by records or other evidence found acceptable by the board of athletic trainers in accordance with minimum competency requirements established by
t
he board. This bill clarifies that the practice of dry needling by an athletic trainer does not constitute the practice of acupuncture.

ON MARCH 10, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 62, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the b
ill to, instead, provide the following:



Authorizes an
athletic trainer
to
use dry needling

and physical modalities, such as heat, light, sound, cold, electricity, or mechanical devices, for the prevention, recognition, evaluation, management, disposition, rehabilitation, and treatment of athletic injuries.



Requires an
athletic trainer
to
only practice in those areas in which an athletic trainer is competent by reason of training or experience that can be substantiated by records or other evidence found acceptable by the board in the exercise of the board's considered discretion.



Requires an
athletic trainer
to
obtain such training and certification in the practice of dry needling as the board
of athletic trainers
may require by rule.



Clarifies that the
practice of dry needling by an athletic trainer does not constitute the practice of acupuncture.



Authorizes the board of athletic trainers to
promulgate rules to effectuate
the bill.



Grants the board of athletic trainers the power and duty to e
stablish minimum competency requirements that an athletic trainer must demonstrate in order to practice dry needling
.
The minimum competency requirements

must include
(i) at
least 50 hours of instructio
n, which must include m
usculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems;
a
natomical basis of pain mechanisms, chronic pain, and referral pain;
t
rigger points; and
u
niversal precaution; and
(ii) a
t least 24 hours dry needling specific instruction
, which must include d
ry needling technique;
d
ry needling indications and contraindications;
d
ry needling documentation;
m
anagement of adverse effects;
p
ractical psychomotor competency; and
b
loodborne pathogens protocol.



Requires the board of athletic trainers to
approve the schools and organizations that provide sufficient instruction to satisfy
the minimum competency requirements.



Changes the effective date for the bill, other than rulemaking, to September 1, 2025.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 62
By Cepicky

SENATE BILL 224
By Taylor

SB0224
000865
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49
and Title 63, relative to athletic trainers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-24-101(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(2) "Athletic trainer" means a person with specific qualifications as set forth in
this chapter, who, upon the advice, consent, and oral or written prescriptions or referrals
of a physician licensed under this title, carries out the practice of prevention, recognition,
evaluation, management, disposition, treatment, or rehabilitation of athletic injuries; and
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 24, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
63-24-109.
(a) An athletic trainer may use dry needling, as defined in § 63-13-103, and
physical modalities, such as heat, light, sound, cold, electricity, or mechanical devices,
for the prevention, recognition, evaluation, management, disposition, rehabilitation, and
treatment of athletic injuries.
(b) An athletic trainer must practice only in those areas in which an athletic
trainer is competent by reason of training or experience that can be substantiated by
records or other evidence found acceptable by the board in the exercise of the board's
considered discretion.
(c) An athletic trainer must obtain proper training and certification in order to
practice dry needling. The practice of dry needling by an athletic trainer under this

- 2 - 000865

chapter does not constitute the practice of acupuncture under chapter 6, part 10 of this
title.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-24-111(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
( ) Establish minimum competency requirements that an athletic trainer must
demonstrate in order to practice dry needling;
SECTION 4. For the purpose of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming
law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2025, the
public welfare requiring it.