About Dr. David B. Fishkin, D.C., MPH

I live and practice in Maryland and teach all over the country. As a native of New York, I obtained a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook and a Doctor of Chiropractic from the New York Chiropractic College. In 2008, as a Maryland transplant, I completed a Masters in Public Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Now, with more than 35 years in practice, I still seek to learn and advance care for patients.

The experience of injuring my lower back at age 13, and struggling with the pain, spurred my desire to help restore hurting people to pain-free lives. In the process, I developed an appreciation for the great value of whole-body wellness that led me to develop The Dry Needling Institute.

I started applying dry needling in 1998 after working with Dr. Adam Dorin, a local anesthesiologist. Working in tandem, Dr. Dorin injected the proper trigger points, and I followed up with the necessary treatment.

We observed rapid responses from patients and greatly improved clinical outcomes. Over time, however, we theorized that the results were achieved by the mechanical action of inserting the needle, not by the pharmaceutical agents delivered by the needle.

Dr. David B. Fishkin, D.C., MPH

Combines chiropractic medicine and physical therapy rehabilitation

In 1999, I began researching this theory in earnest and discovered a wide and extensive body of literature, dating as far back as the mid-1940’s. This knowledge base, together with my own, and Dr. Dorin’s, empirical data, enabled me to develop a technical framework for dry needling.

I have since developed an efficient and effective clinical- and evidence-based approach to dry needling that is easier to administer and more comfortable for the patient. As both a clinician and a patient I am interested in what works.

I have experienced every treatment method for my own back, except for surgery, and dry needling is one of the best. In fact, many of my students who have had other training have found my approach to be much better tolerated by, and more effective for their patients, and even themselves. Thankfully, I have found that Dry Needling in general, and the Fishkin Dry Needling Technique in particular, has been a major contributor in keeping both myself and my patients healthy.

My own experiences and challenges led me to advocate for the inclusion of Dry Needling in the State of Maryland’s scope of practice for the chiropractic profession. I have since advised many state professional organizations and state regulatory agencies as to the importance of the professionals to have this in their scope and for the citizens of those states to have access to this service.

I am committed to expanding the scope of practice for Dry Needling and training so that the public can get the help it needs to alleviate their suffering and reduce their dependence on addictive medications.

I work with and train healthcare providers in other disciplines, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, medical doctors, physician assistants, athletic trainers, and acupuncturists. I trained the clinical faculty at National University of Health Sciences, a premier chiropractic institution where these concepts are being integrated into the core curriculum. I have also trained US military healthcare personnel in the art and science of dry needling therapy.

Regards,

David B. Fishkin, D.C., MPH

Dry Needling Institute, LLC

DryNeedlingInstitute@Gmail.com

Rockville: 301-444-4890