Cupping Therapy: How It Works and Benefits
If you’ve seen professional athletes or even everyday people at the ocean or lake beach with red, pepperoni-like marks and wondered, “what are those?” then wonder no further. These are the marks left by cupping therapy, which can soothe sore muscles and assist in their natural repair processes.
Cupping is another traditional Chinese medicine technique. Like acupuncture, it uses the system of meridian lines and their points (acupoints) which run throughout your body and help to regulate its functions. This ancient therapy is gaining popularity in the West and is accumulating peer-reviewed evidence, which is why more people are seeking out cupping in Chicago.
What is Cupping Therapy Used For?
Life Balance Clinic uses cupping therapy to help treat a range of conditions. If you’re searching “cupping therapy near me,” you may have one or more of the following:
- Neck and back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Headache and migraine
- Osteoarthritis
- Skin conditions such as psoriasis
- Some inflammatory conditions
- Poor healing of chronic injuries
For example, one trial compared cupping therapy to a waitlist control found that it reduced pain from just under 5/10 to just under 3/10 in people with chronic neck pain. Other benefits of cupping therapy were overall physical pain, physical functioning, and better mental health.
As for carpal tunnel syndrome, another trial comparing cupping to one session of heat therapy found that it lowered average pain scores from 6.15 to 2.26/10. These impressive results appeared after just one treatment. Functional disability improved, too.
How Cupping Therapy Works
One way that cupping therapy works is by increasing blood flow to the affected area. This is the aim of cupping used in massage therapy, where cups are placed over the muscle belly. It may reduce pain signalling while promoting detoxification of inflammatory substances and debris.
While dry cupping simply uses the cups, wet cupping involves a tiny prick to some or all treated acupoints. This will draw a small amount of blood and may help remove excessive or toxic substances. Some dry cupping techniques also include sliding, gliding, or flashing cups over muscles or a certain region of the body. Flashing is a technique where cups are repeatedly placed and removed to remove congestion. Sliding and gliding generally use massage oil.
What Happens During a Cupping Session
During cupping sessions, your clinician will place several cups over specific acupoints that require a boost to their blood or Qi flow. Whether you have wet cupping or dry techniques is determined by your specific needs and what you are comfortable with. These are then left for a duration often between 20 and 30 minutes, or moved in a sliding or gliding motion.
Cupping is not painful, but will leave behind its characteristic red or purple spots for anywhere between a few days to a week or two. You may have cupping alongside acupuncture, too.
Cupping Therapy and Acupuncture
Cupping therapy is commonly combined with other treatments such as acupuncture and massage. At Life Balance Clinic in Glenview, IL, Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM has over 30 years of experience in providing an integrative approach to patients with chronic back pain, arthritis, headache, and other issues.
To book an appointment or see if cupping is suitable for you, click here.