Adverse Events Associated with Acupuncture and Dry Needling
Adverse Events Associated with Acupuncture and Dry Needling
1 hour
Overview
Acupuncture and dry needling are increasingly utilized interventions among physiotherapists in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. As with any other treatment technique, the inherent risks involved with needling treatments must be weighed against the potential therapeutic benefits.
Knowledge of the adverse events (AE) associated with needling treatments is essential in the risk management of physiotherapy practices. This course will discuss the types, frequency, prevention, and treatment of AE. This will include bleeding and bruising, vasovagal responses, pneumothorax, infections, cardiac tamponade, nerve injuries, broken and forgotten needles and concerns related to pregnancy.
Discussion of AEs from acupuncture will be based on existing evidence from prospective studies and recent case studies. Symptom recognition and prevention strategies from prominent health care organizations are included to inform safe practice.
Speaker: Dr. Vanessa Valdes
Dr. Valdes is a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy since 2013. She began her career with a B.Sc. (PT) from the University of Alberta in 1980. After working in a variety of clinical settings in Canada, she immigrated to the USA in 1993 and was employed by Mount Sinai Medical center as a clinical specialist in outpatient orthopaedics where she continues to practice. She has owned and operated an acupuncture private practice in Manhattan since she obtained a Master’s degree in Acupuncture from the Tristate College of Acupuncture (TSCA) in 1999.
Upon graduation she became a faculty member at that college where she taught point location, orthopaedic evaluation and trigger point classes until 2018. She is a national examiner of the Clean Needle Technique exam, which is a required to become licensed as an acupuncturist in the USA.
She obtained her DPT in 2015 from Arcadia University. As some one dually licensed as a physical therapist and an acupuncturist, she has written about scope of practice issues related to needling treatments.
This course is brought to you by the Acupuncture and Dry Needling Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
The instructors
The Acupuncture Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association supports physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants in advancing the use of acupuncture as an established core competency in physiotherapy clinical practice.
Vision
To promote acupuncture and encourage an actively engaged membership who are committed to lifelong learning and excellence in practice in order to promote health and well-being among their patients.
Mission
To provide leadership and direction to physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants who are members of the Acupuncture Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association in advancing the utilization of acupuncture in clinical practice by promoting excellence in direct care, education and research.