What is cupping?
Cupping is an alternative medicine treatment that uses suction cups to pull on your skin. It’s an ancient method that dates back thousands of years to its root in Chinese medicine.
With its roots in ancient medicine, cupping is used by a variety of practitioners. In addition to physical therapists, chiropractors, physicians, massage therapists and acupuncturists may use cupping therapy in their practice.
What does cupping do?
Cupping promotes healing by drawing blood to a particular part of your body. The suction from cupping literally pulls fluids in, increasing blood flow to the affected area. The force from the suction expands and breaks open the capillaries under your skin, causing your body to replenish the blood flow and regenerate the area.
When is cupping therapy done?
Cupping therapy is used anywhere on the body to treat a wide variety of conditions, from digestive disorders to hypertension. In physical therapy, cupping may be a part of your treatment plan when you’re feeling discomfort or pain from back or neck issues, fibromyalgia, arthritis or carpal tunnel.
What should I expect during cupping therapy treatment?
There are many different types of cupping, so your individual treatment may vary depending on the physical therapist you see and the specific ailment bothering you. Your PT may use heat, electrical stimulation, oils or water to produce different effects. There are also different cupping techniques, amounts of pressure (or suction) applied, types of suction cup materials and lengths of time of suction.
Treatment begins with the placement of suction cups on your skin above the targeted muscle tissue. The cups connect to a pump that sucks the air out, creating a vacuum. Your skin and tissue fill the void and your blood vessels expand. It may feel like a pinch or various levels of pressure, depending on how tender your muscle tissue is.
At minimum, a cupping treatment will leave you feeling a little tender with reddish circles where the suction cups were placed. You may develop light bruises or irritated skin in those areas — nothing a little pain reliever or ointment won’t cure.
What results will I see from cupping?
Cupping therapy is based on centuries of practice rather than modern science. So it’s not entirely known how or why it’s effective. But many patients see results and physical therapists trust it as one of the many treatments in their toolkit. Individual results will vary but you may see:
- Reduced inflammation
- Enhanced blood circulation
- Lower pain and greater pain tolerance
- Feelings of comfort and relaxation
- Release of stress, tightness and tension
- Increased range of motion