Cupping Therapy

Cupping is a therapy used in many ancient and surviving traditions all over the world, from China to Europe to South America, where glass or plastic cups are placed onto the skin and negative suction is created via vacuum-pump or the nearby application of fire*. This draws the skin under the cup partially into the cup, stretching the connective tissue around muscle fibers (the fascia). The stretching can relieve physical tension in both the fascia and corresponding muscles and joints, thereby reducing pain.

Because cupping increases blood circulation to the area under the cups, it can leave skin discoloration akin to 'hickeys' that last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, but is very rarely painful. Once the marks have cleared, the procedure can be repeated until the condition is resolved.

In August 2016 at the Rio Olympics, many athletes, such as 19-time Olympic gold medalist Micheal Phelps and men’s gymnast Alex Naddour, donned the dark circular suction marks from their muscle and fascia tension releasing cupping treatments. USA Today, BBC News, and The Washington Post, among many other news outlets reported on the surge in popularity of this therapeutic technique for muscle and joint pain.

The effectiveness of cupping has been documented clinically for hundreds of years cross-culturally, in fact, one of the earliest mentions of its specific usefulness is from the text, A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, which was written by the Daoist herbalist Ge Hong in 300AD. Still, many people claim there have been no scientific studies that demonstrate this in a controlled setting. During the flurry of post-Olympic journalism, some of the more reputable media outlets reported on the numerous trials that have been analyzed and show that cupping is a safe and effective pain reducing therapy.

Time Magazine reports, "A 2010 review of 550 clinical studies, including 73 randomized controlled trials—which are considered the gold-standard study in the science community— concluded that the "majority of studies show potential benefit on pain conditions, herpes zoster and other diseases." None of the studies reported serious bad health outcomes from the practice.  Another 2014 review of 16 studies with 921 people reported short-term pain reduction from cupping."

The New York Times mentioned that, "One 2012 study of 61 people with chronic neck pain compared cupping to a technique called progressive muscle relaxation, or P.M.R., during which a patient deliberately tenses his muscles and then focuses on relaxing them. Half the patients used cupping while the other half used P.M.R. Both patient groups reported similar reductions in pain after 12 weeks of treatment. Notably, the patients who had used cupping scored higher on measurements of well-being and felt less pain when pressure was applied to the area."

*Flames are never used on the skin and fire is not lit throughout the process of cupping, but rather are a means to create the heat that causes the negative suction within the cups.