What is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping Therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. People get it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, cellulite, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.

Cupping therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.

Cupping is a method of relieving local congestion by applying a partial vacuum that is created in glass or plastic cups either by heat or by suction. This therapeutic technique relieves pain and discomfort caused by the congestion of blood, mucus, or toxins. Cupping helps to improve local circulation and draw toxins out through the skin and out through the pores. Cupping can be effective for a wide range of ailments including joint and muscular pain, arthritis, edema, swellings, asthma, bronchitis, abdominal pain, stomachache, indigestion, headache, common cold and flu, fever, low back pain, painful menstruation, cough from excessive mucus and treats areas where bodily movement is limited and painful. Cupping is also used to promote circulation and energy flow.

Stubborn conditions that may have been present for decades are easily resolved with Cupping. Nothing works better at opening up and releasing joints, connective tissue and muscles than the use of negative pressure and movement. By creating suction and negative pressure, it releases rigid soft tissue, drains excess fluids and toxins, loosens adhesions, lifts connective tissue, and brings blood flow to stagnant skin and muscles.

When it comes to such chronic conditions such as overuse injuries that come from repetitive, cumulative and minor injuries in the same location, cupping is the optimal therapy for working on surface and deeper levels due to the action of negative pressure.

This treatment helps to break up scar tissue, adhesions, and tight muscle tissue, leaving your body feeling loose and rejuvenated. Cumulative cupping treatments increase muscle endurance, circulation, lung capacity, lymphatic drainage and health maintenance during strenuous activities. Many professional athletes incorporate cupping into their training to enhance their overall performance, agility and ability to recover from their sports.

Afterward, you may get an antibiotic ointment and bandage to prevent infection. Your skin should look normal again within 10 days.

Injuries and Conditions treated with Dynamic Cupping?

  • Knee Injuries

  • Sprains and Strains

  • Gluteal Injuries

  • Shin Splints

  • Hamstring Injuries

  • IT Band Syndrome

  • Shoulder Injuries

  • Hip Conditions/ Groin Pain

  • Achilles Tendon Injuries

  • Gastrocnemius Injuries

  • Low Back Injuries

  • Compartment Syndrome

  • Quadricep Femoral Injuries

  • Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

  • Frozen Shoulder Syndrome

  • Repetitive Stress Injuries

  • Scoliosis

  • Bursitis

  • Tennis Elbow

  • Rotator Cuff Injury

  • Cellulite

Side Effects
 

Cupping is fairly safe, as long as you go to a trained health professional. But you could have these side effects in the area where the cups touch your skin:

 

  • Mild discomfort

  • Bruises

  • Skin infection