AAMT President
Dr. James Dunning, PhD, DPT, MSc, Dip. Osteopractic, FAAOMPT is the President of Spinal Manipulation Institute, Dry Needling Institute, and the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. He is the Director of the APTA-accredited AAMT Fellowship in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy and the Owner of Montgomery Osteopractic Physiotherapy & Acupuncture Clinic. Dr. Dunning specializes in spinal manipulation, Western acupuncture, dry needling and differential diagnosis for a variety of neuromusculoskeletal conditions.
Dr. Dunning is an Osteopractic Physical Therapist, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists, Member of the Manipulation Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (England), and Member of the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (England). Dr. Dunning has a special interest in the use of acupuncture and/or spinal manipulation for the treatment of cervicogenic headaches, whiplash associated disorders of the cervicothoracic region, knee osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, post-partum pelvic pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunctions, lumbar zygapophyseal joint dysfunctions, craniofacial pain and neuromyofascial pain syndromes.
Dr. Dunning graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of the Pacific, California, a post-graduate Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Florida, and a PhD from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain. In addition, he received a post-graduate Master of Science in Advanced Manipulative Physiotherapy from the University of Birmingham, England, and has completed advanced training in osteopathic spinal manipulation & acupuncture through the London School of Osteopathy, British Medical Acupuncture Society, and Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (England).
Dr. Dunning has published several randomized clinical trials, literature reviews, original experimental studies, and case series on both spinal manipulation and dry needling in the following internationally recognized and peer-reviewed journals: The Spine Journal, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, Physical Therapy, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics, International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Reviews, Clinical Journal of Pain, PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science), Physiotherapy Theory & Practice, and BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Dr. Dunning was the recipient of the 2009 AAOMPT Research Award & Grant in Washington, D.C. As part of his PhD dissertation, Dr. Dunning published two randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of Periosteal Electrical Dry Needling for Knee Osteoarthritis and Electrical Dry Needling for Plantar Fasciitis.
In 2021, Dr. Dunning published two randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of Spinal Manipulation and Perineural Electrical Dry Needling in Patients with Cervicogenic Headache and Spinal Manipulation and Electrical Dry Needling in Patients with Subacromial Pain Syndrome.
Dr. Dunning has taught over 450 post-graduate courses in spinal manipulation and/or dry needling to physical therapists, medical physicians, osteopaths, acupuncturists and chiropractors in the United States, Italy, Spain, Brazil, France, Greece, Iceland, Austria, Czech Republic, England and Canada.
