Myofascial Cupping Therapy
Feb 25, 2016
As a massage therapist, I became interested in cupping when I began to explore different ways of manipulating muscle and fascia.
Have you ever gone to see your massage therapist and wished they could just pick up your muscles and wring them out? Some muscles really like being worked like that. In massage therapy we even have a specific technique called (very technically) “picking up.” Your triceps love this. Try it, use one hand and grab a big handful of your opposite arms’ tricep and pull it away from the arm. It feels great. Your latissimus dorsi is another muscle that appreciates this technique.
What if there was something you could do that could mimic that kind of action, but to all the other muscles of your body, like your back? You guessed it, cupping.
What is cupping, anyways?
From the website www.cuppingmassage.ca, cupping:
- Creates a vacuum pressure on the applied areas, to lift, open, release, cleanse and hydrate tight muscle and fascia. The vacuum effect can pull up to 4 inches of tissue.
- Heals tissues by bringing increased circulation and oxygen to enhance collagen production and tissue repair
- Clears the pores and removes surface toxins while pulling out old stagnate blood and toxins from the deep myofascial tissues
- Detoxif(ies) the lymphatic system, and organ systems
- Relieves muscle spasms that often cause pain
- Relaxes the sympathetic nervous system to aid stress reduction and healing
In simpler terms, the therapist places plastic (or silicone) cups on your skin and creates a vacuum (either manually or with a handheld pump) that draws up the skin, fascia and muscle underneath the cup. The cup can either be stationary (the therapist leaves the cup in place) or moving (usually done with the silicone cup).
Both have benefits to a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. I use cupping extensively when I encounter large areas of restricted fascia, particularly hypertonic (overly tight/engaged) muscle, and trigger points that are being stubborn. Some people get concerned when they see pictures online of the effects of cupping. Big, scary, red marks that look like they were inflicted in some medieval torture device. I can tell you that they look much worse than they are. First of all, IT’S NOT BRUISING. People often mistake the redness from cupping as bruising. Bruising is a contusion, damage to tissue as a result of blunt trauma. Cupping marks are from the drawing of old blood, cellular debris and other wastes from areas of injury or stagnation. Once the waste is near the surface or skin layer, the body can eliminate the toxins more easily.
Since cupping therapy has not been extensively researched in peer reviewed studies, I am wary about bold claims about what conditions cupping can treat when I'm researching online. It is important to ask yourself why you would want to utilize an alternative treatment like cupping. When I perform cupping on my clients, I always make sure to tell them about the benefits of cupping, realistic expectations from the treatment, and any safety concerns. I have treated many people with cupping and have had many amazing results. One client was suffering from frozen shoulder and was able to regain almost 20 degrees of range of motion in his shoulder after just one session!
Cupping works best on those tight, problematic areas that seem to be chronic or don't respond well to other manual therapies. It is not painful (when done correctly) and makes a wonderful complement to a massage session.
If you are interested in trying cupping, or have any questions about cupping, come see me at St. Albert Physical Therapy! Call 780-458-8505 to book an appointment. I am a certified cupping practitioner as well as an Registered Massage Therapist.
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