Cupping Therapy

Cupping is a Traditional Chinese Medicine modality in which cups are placed on the skin and a suction is created through either heat or an air pump. The cups can be moved along muscles with a ligament or left fixed in place to promote blood circulation and break up adhesive or scar tissue. Cupping distracts the tissue layers to promote blood circulation to injured or tight tissues. Restoring circulation helps to bring the inherent healing factors in the blood to repair damaged tissues and reduce swelling. Cupping also has the ability to detoxify the body. The suction of the cups pulls toxins to the surface of the tissue so that the lymphatic system can more easily expel them from the body.

Cupping is not painful, however there is a tight pulling sensation on the skin. Cupping marks are the most common side effect. The suction causes leakage from small blood vessels under the skin, resulting in the circular marks of cupping. They are not painful and typically fade within a few days. Some may fade after a few hours while others take up to two weeks to disappear completely. If you’d like those marks to go away faster, do two things: hydrate and rest.

The different types depend on the what is being treated and the patient’s overall health:

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• Fixed cupping: Cups are left in place on a specific body area, usually accompanied with a medicinal herbal topical. This encourages blood circulation to the area and releases muscle constraint. Fixed cupping also encourages tissues to release toxins by bringing lactic acid and other irritants to the tissue surface so that the lymphatic system can more easily drain them out of the body.

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• Sliding Cupping: Cups are placed on the skin with an oil based medicinal herbal topical. The cups are then slid along a meridian or large area of muscle. This is usually done with fire cups, however is not always. This type of cupping helps to reduce pain and inflammation by improving blood flow, and relaxes the muscles by massaging deeply. Sliding cupping can reduce stretch marks and scars by breaking up scar tissue gently.

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• Flash Cupping: Cups are quickly applied to the skin and then quickly removed over a large area of the body. This helps to gently stimulate circulation to the area without causing cupping marks.

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• Wet Cupping: This is also known as needle cupping, in which the licensed acupuncturist first sterilizes the skin. Then an acupuncturist inserts a needle and places a cup over it. Next, they do a second suction to draw out a small quantity of blood. Afterward, you may get an antibiotic ointment and bandage to prevent infection. This type of cupping is used to draw out toxins in the blood of muscles causing severe pain. It is also used for various skin disorders. 

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• Fire Cupping: Fire cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine technique where a fire is quickly placed inside of a glass cup and quickly removed before being placed on the skin. Fire cupping causes your blood vessels to expand, encouraging blood flow and increased circulation to a damaged area.This type of cupping can be used for muscular pain, joint pain, skin problems, and/or respiratory disorders.

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• Pneumatic Cupping: Pneumatic cupping is the most popular technique used in cupping therapies. A rubber pump is used to create suction in silicone cups. These cups increase blood circulation to a body area, release muscle tension, and detoxify in a gentle controlled manner.