01-08-2025
Women hospitalised with lung injuries after dry needling at Bendigo massage clinic
Two Bendigo women have been treated for lung injuries after receiving dry needling treatments at a local massage clinic.
Dry needling is the practice of inserting small needles into tight muscles to try and relieve them.
It is different to acupuncture, which has lengthier and more rigorous training requirements.
The ABC understands two women had massages at Miracle Health Massage in Eaglehawk on separate occasions in July and had dry needling included in their session.
One of the women, Julie — her name changed for privacy reasons — said she began experiencing severe shortness of breath at the end of her appointment.
She said staff at the massage centre called an ambulance and she was taken to Bendigo Health.
Julie said doctors confirmed she had a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, which required the insertion of a chest tube to drain her lung.
She said doctors advised her not to drive or fly for at least 10 weeks.
Bendigo Health said it could not comment on the matter due to patient privacy.
A spokesperson for the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) confirmed to the ABC it was aware of two complaints about the same Bendigo centre.
"The HCC has recently received complaints regarding pneumothorax as a result of dry needling and we are currently looking into it," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"We do not hesitate to take action if we believe there is a risk to public safety.
"If anyone has experienced pneumothorax after dry needling, or has information about unsafe practices, we encourage them to contact us directly."
Zaparas Lawyers said it was exploring legal action on behalf of one of the women.
"There is a level of care that members of the community expect will be adhered to and incidents like these should not happen to anyone," said senior associate Georgio Skoumbri.
"We are committed to pursuing compensation for all those who have been injured as a result of negligent treatment."
Miracle Massage Eaglehawk owner Lin Yang told the ABC she was still investigating the complaint.
She said the staff member who did the dry needling was recently qualified but would not be continuing with the practice.
Ms Yang said she was yet to speak directly with Julie, who she described as a regular customer.
"If the client has any questions I hope we can resolve them together," she said.
The ABC understands dry needling injuries are rare, with the HCC receiving low numbers of complaints in the past two years.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners rural chair associate professor Michael Clements said it was "very unlikely and very rare" a small needle, such as in dry needling, could cause pneumothorax.
"But as soon as you're putting needles where they are not supposed to go, and penetrating that normal skin barrier, we do have to think about risks like that."
Dr Clements said pneumothorax occurred when air escaped into a space between the lung and chest wall.
He said it was also not unusual for emergency departments to deal with cases of spontaneous pneumothorax.
"It can also occur after chest infections or if they have got underlying lung disease."
But Dr Clements said if a person who presented with pneumothorax had had penetrating treatment with needles then doctors would probe that.
"This would certainly be high on our list of potential causes," he said.
Melbourne myotherapist and a former director of the Association of Massage Therapists, Ian Lim, said he was concerned but not surprised to hear of injuries from dry needling.
Mr Lim said the treatment was often confused with acupuncture, which had more lengthy and rigorous training requirements.
"[Acupuncture] practitioners must undergo years of formal education and licensing in Australia through the Chinese Medicine Board," Mr Lim said.
"I am very conservative with my approach to dry needling and only use it as a last resort because of its risk profile."
Massage and Myotherapy Australia chief executive Ann Davey said reports of injuries linked to dry needling were "very concerning".
She said the massage industry was self-regulated and anyone could claim to be a therapist.
Ms Davey urged the public to check the qualifications of their therapists before attending appointments.
"The same principle should apply here.
"Being a self-regulated industry doesn't mean clients can't or shouldn't ask to see someone's qualifications."
