Cupping: How To Look Pro-Athlete Cool

(image credit: www.joe.co.uk)

Cupping is a modality present in many cultures used as a remedy to treat different ailments, dating back to primitive times. More recently it has gained popularity as a form of recovery, indicated by the visible marks on some of our favourite athletes. When paired with massage therapy, cupping can be very helpful in not only warming up the tissues faster, but also providing a different approach to achieve treatment goals. 

Traditional Swedish and other deep massage techniques are applied with pressure. People have different tolerances for pain, so getting to an injured area can be difficult. This means a therapist must take time warming up the muscles, or addressing inflammation.

The suction (or negative pressure) applied by cups creates space by “pulling apart” tissues and promotes circulation, which can be more tolerable than the pressure applied by massage. 

Those who prefer the pain that comes with treatment, have found that cupping has allowed for even deeper work to get to those really stubborn, chronic areas of tension. This can also be extremely helpful if a client has multiple areas that they’re looking to have treated in just one session. 

When cups are placed on one part of your body, it usually takes a few minutes for the effects to take place. This allows the therapist to work on different areas that may also need attention. 

In situations where there is swelling, cups can be used to move the inflammation away from the affected area, reducing temperature of the tissues and making pressure more tolerable.

Because they can affect up to 4 inches deep into the body, the cups can pull stagnation (or interstitial debris) that has been stuck in our soft tissues to the surface, creating cupping marks. To be clear; when cupping is applied properly you should not have any bruises. It is only when they are placed in areas that are unsafe, have been over treated, or there is too much suction that this happens. 

Depending on how dark cupping marks are, they tend to completely fade within 5-7 days as the lymphatic system filters out the debris.

Cupping can also help as a literal marker for areas that are restricted to let the therapist know what might need a little extra attention. 

There are certain instances where marks may not appear but this does not mean that the cupping hasn’t had any effects. Every body is different and can react in a different way.

In some cases, clients have also experienced what feels like an emotional release as people can hold stress in certain parts of their body.

Here are a few conditions that cupping can help with:

Tension Headaches – These can occur when we spend long hours seated in front of a computer or sitting in a slouched position for a long time. The pressure created by those tight muscles contribute to pain and discomfort. Cupping creates the space required for proper blood flow that helps to soften tissues and reduce symptoms.

Adhesive Capsulitis – Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, can create a lot of pain and reduce range of motion in the joint. Cupping helps to reduce inflammation and hydrate the tissues, which in turn allows the therapist to manipulate the joint more efficiently and re-introduce lost movement.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction – PSA: TMJ is not a condition, it stands for temporomandibular joint. Everyone has a jaw, that is the name of the joint. TMJD refers to dysfunction in said joint. The pandemic has led to a significant increase in teeth grinding and jaw clenching. If an intra oral treatment (where the therapist works inside your mouth to release tight muscles) seems too invasive, cupping is a much more gentle alternative to reach deep muscles and provide quick relief.

There is a long list of benefits that come with this modality, but cupping is not for everyone. Conditions like Deep Vein Thrombosis, varicose veins, bulging or herniated discs, sprains/strains are a few examples of situations where cupping is not appropriate, or should be modified. Cupping can cause feelings of itching or suction, but should never be painful.

For more information about how cupping might be helpful for you, ask your therapist at your next appointment for more details.