08/07/2025
Have you ever heard of cupping?? This message is from one of our talented Licensed Massage Therapists Sara Wilkins…
If you know me, you know I love to integrate cupping therapy into treatment if indicated* ✨ if you've never experienced this and would like to, book online at www.arnoldfamilychiropractic.com or call/text 989-865-6100 or 989-573-8575 to get scheduled✨
Cupping therapy, also known as myofascial decompression, can be traced back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures,” said John E. Ebinger, PT, a board-certified sports medicine specialist at Banner Physical Therapy in Phoenix, AZ. “It’s been described as one of the oldest treatment interventions, and its history dates back to 1500 B.C.”
In ancient Chinese medicine, people used it for lung conditions, fever and other ailments. Today, practitioners use it for pain relief and musculoskeletal injuries like strains, sprains and back injuries.
The theory of Eastern medicine is where there is stagnation, there is pain,” Ebinger said. “Remove the stagnation, and you remove the pain. This is what cupping seeks to address.”
How does cupping therapy work?
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), cupping involves placing cups (made of glass, plastic, bamboo or ceramic) on the skin to create suction. Cups can be applied to the skin on the back, shoulders, stomach, legs or any muscle group where it’s easy to attach the cups.
“This suction creates a negative pressure environment allowing for myofascial decompression as the skin is drawn into the cups,” Ebinger said. “While massage therapy uses direct pressure to release tension, cupping uses negative pressure to lift the muscle fibers and increase blood flow to the area.”
There are two types of cupping methods, including wet and dry. And two cupping techniques, stagnant and dynamic.
“Dry cupping uses a pumping method to draw the skin tissue inside the cup,” Ebinger said. “The subcutaneous tissue (the bottom layer of your skin) is pulled into the cups and held in place for a small amount of time—anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes.”
With dry cupping, the cups can slide across the skin or remain in place, known as dynamic and stagnant cupping respectively.
Wet cupping, on the other hand, goes a step further. After creating a mild suction, a practitioner removes the cup and uses a small scalpel to make a tiny cut on that area of the skin. Then they use a second suction to draw blood (a small amount).
Is cupping painful?
If performed by a licensed practitioner, cupping shouldn’t be painful. It may cause temporary bruising (known as ecchymosis), swelling or soreness, depending on the person or amount of cupping treatment done. The spots left behind typically fade after several days or a week.
Some people have reported side effects, including feeling lightheaded or dizzy and experiencing flu-like symptoms, like nausea and body aches.
* Source - NCCIH