Level 1 Introductory Dry Needling Course

Want to add Dry Needling to your Clinical Kit? Have you noticed your hands ache after a day of soft tissue work? Hypermobile thumbs perhaps? Or would you like to gain a deeper understanding of how dry needling & acupuncture complement manual therapy?

All great questions. All have been asked by the 1000s of manual therapists who have previously attended our Level 1 - Dry Needling Course, the first part of our Clinical Dry Needling Program. 

This dry needling course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the necessary theory and clinical practice. It is suited to clinicians with limited or no experience and covers the minimum requirements for professional indemnity insurance. Practitioners must adhere to their scope of practice after completing their training.

NEWS FLASH*** 2026 Dry Needling Apprenticeship Program (Save $338) JUST RELEASED

Past participants recommend completing Levels 1, 2, and 3 within 12 months to solidify their knowledge of dry needling AND BUILD SOLID CONFIDENCE IN THEIR TECHNIQUE.

For this reason, we offer an additional saving to those who are committed to our 12-month apprenticeship program.

 

2026 Normal Investment: Level 1 + Level 2 + Level 3 = $1690

2026 Dry Needling Apprenticeship Program: Level 1 + Level 2 +  Level 3 = $1352

 

To access the 2026 Dry Needling Apprenticeship Program, you enrol in each of the three courses in the same year (as a full-paying participant) and pay the total amount.

Email us with your nominated bank details, and you will receive a 20% refund ($338) within two business days. Then the fun starts!

 

Level 1 Introductory/Refresher Dry Needling Course includes;

• Online Theory (work at your own pace, time & location) via AAP Education Academy
• FREE Wet Lab Anatomy Workshop (2-hour exclusive - Value = $180) @ UWA 6 - 8.00pm
• 1.5 days practical workshop (Fri 5.00 - 8.00pm and Saturday 8.00 - 5.00pm)
• 6 months of free access to the online dry needling video library

Course Participation Compulsory Requirements

• Due to the presumed anatomy knowledge, advanced palpation skills and structure of these courses, our minimal education standard is a degree course or higher in an area of the medical health sciences; physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, myotherapy, medicine, podiatry or occupational therapy
• You are required to have current registration with your national professional body (e.g. AHPRA, MAA)
• You are required to have public indemnity insurance as per your professional body's minimum standard
• For these reasons, graduates of human movements, exercise physiology, nursing, remedial & therapeutic massage are ineligible to apply, and AAP Education recommends you seek a course focused on simple dry-needling techniques

Participant Feedback

"I really appreciate; 

1. Surface anatomy review
2. Doug - very approachable + non-threatening
3. eManual - very detailed + easy to read
4. Regular breaks - great for someone that is 20 weeks pregnant" 

Beth Vellios  - Physiotherapist

 

"Doug I found the; 

• case study presentations
• demos and the low ratio of students to the presenter 
• plantar fascia discussion
• wet lab anatomy workshop
• course manual and online video technique library were all very helpful.

This dry needling course extends beyond just needling skills and challenges your ability to think clinically. It encourages thinking outside the box and questioning what is already 'given knowledge'. Being in your course the past 4 days has been a pleasure."

Tisha Bohne - Physiotherapist

Text Recommendations

Click here for our book recommendations to assist your study.

Continuing Professional Development

An AAP Accredited course: 24 hours National AHPRA Registration CPD requirements (Includes F2F practical, Living Anatomy Wet Lab, pre-reading and online study modules)

What Sets AAP Education Dry Needling Apart from the Crowd?

1. YOU RECEIVE A FREE (VALUE = $160) 2-HOUR ANATOMY WET LAB WORKSHOP. Unique amongst all dry needling courses in Australia is the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the upper limb, lower limb, and spinal structures in relation to dry needling with clinical director Dr Doug Cary, PhD.

Revisit the core skill of anatomical tissue identification, but from a clinical perspective. This 2-hour clinically focused session at the UWA's premier anatomy lab has practitioners repeatedly returning to hone their anatomy skills. All dry needling supplies are provided on the course + you receive a discount voucher for your first purchase of premium quality Seirin needles as used on the course. 

2. YOU RISK NOTHING! Attend an AAP Education course, and if you are not convinced that it will improve how you treat your clients, we will provide you with a complete refund. We were the first to offer a 30-day, 100% No-Risk Satisfaction Guarantee. Why? We are confident that the course content quality and clinical insights you receive will ensure you exceptional value for your money. P.S. Since 1995, no one has ever requested a refund from us. Ever!

3. LIFETIME SUPPORT. Why go through the same pitfalls? Why reinvent the wheel? Your dry needling skills will develop through progressively challenging courses, from Level 1 Introductory to Level 4 Master Needling. You learn in a supportive environment that combines theory and practicals, case studies, and clinical reasoning. Even when not at a course, you have access to the course director, receive regular emails with clinical information, and have access to an extensive online Resources Library with webinars, documents, and research papers. Why? Learning shouldn’t be threatening! We want your knowledge to be clinically relevant and fun. We offer the only comprehensive, progressive dry needling program with lifetime support.

4. EXPERTISE. You will benefit from a presenter who has achieved specialisation in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, with 30+ years of full-time clinical experience, teaching dry needling since 1995 and a research doctorate at Curtin University. He also provides forensic consultation in dry needling and physiotherapy for AHPRA and other legal authorities.

5. BONUS LEARNING TOOLS. Most people don’t recall everything. For this reason, you can access the online technique video library (Value $100) of all the techniques demonstrated during your course.

6. COMPLETE LEARNING MATERIALS. From the moment you enrol, you are learning. You will receive access to online theory modules, anatomy quizzes, and articles. All to maximise your on-the-day learning. A Living Anatomy Wet Laboratory workshop is included to enable an important review of anatomy ‘in the flesh’. No other dry needling course presenter provides access to anatomy workshops with a dry needling emphasis. Before the course, you will receive an eManual, full text (no PowerPoint handouts) (Value $85). You can sit back, take notes, absorb the information, and review the references later. It all makes your learning easy. For your PD portfolio, we provide individualised Course Competency & Completion Certificates (Value $35). No extra charge.

7. TIME CREATION. If I am treating pain, trigger points, or muscle spasms, dry needling creates 3-4 extra minutes for every client. Over the course of a day with 15-20 clients, I choose to spend an extra hour providing more comprehensive client education and developing home exercises. In this way, dry needling improves client outcomes through short-term pain relief and long-term functional improvements.

"The level of specificity and detail in the course was outstanding. The online theory and manual were easy to navigate and a great resource to refer back to during the practical component of the course. Doug is extremely approachable and knowledgeable and encourages you to think about pathology and three-dimensional anatomy and use your clinical reasoning when using dry needling. Overall, I would highly recommend a fantastic course to other clinicians." 

Jas Angelev - Physiotherapist

AAP Education Rural & Remote Scholarship

If you work in a designated rural and remote region, 4 - 7, using the Modified Monash model, you may select an AAP Education rural and remote position for this course. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rural & Remote Professional Development Support

See Rural Workforce Support Agencies for details in your state or territory.

Other Dry Needling Courses

Level 2 Advanced Spine and Lower Quadrant Course

Level 3 Advanced Spine and Upper Quadrant Course

Level 4 Master Needler Course

Associated course Living Anatomy - Wet Lab Learning