Bill > H2006

This bill amends Section 148 of Chapter 112 of the General Laws to clarify that certain needling techniques used by acupuncturists for pain treatment are considered the practice of acupuncture. Specifically, it states that using needles on "trigger points" (tender spots in muscles), "Ashi points" (tender points found during palpation), "soft indurations" (abnormal lumps or hardened tissue), "motor points" (points on a muscle where electrical stimulation is most effective), or for "intramuscular needling" (inserting needles into muscles) to treat "myofascial pain" (pain originating from muscles and their surrounding fascia) will now be recognized as part of the practice of acupuncture. This provides a clearer definition for acupuncturists treating specific types of pain.