07/14/2025
In 2011, I tore a tendon in my shoulder, right before I was going to start working as a chiropractor.
🚑Thankfully, it wasn't bad enough to need surgery. However, I will have to live with it for a while. It bothers me from time to time. However, I haven't been able to take care of myself through getting adjusted, rehab, stretching, and on occasion and . But when my wife sees the spots she freaks out a little. 😱
⭕️While the circular marks after cupping therapy look like bruises, they are generally not considered true bruises in the medical sense of an injury to muscle fibers or significant trauma.
Here's a breakdown:
✅️What they are: The suction created by the cups draws blood to the surface of the skin. This force expands and can break open tiny blood vessels called capillaries under your skin. The marks are essentially superficial blood extravasation (blood leaking out of capillaries into the surrounding tissue). 🩸They are sometimes referred to as "cupping marks," "cupping kisses," or "sha" in Traditional Chinese Medicine.😘
Difference from a typical bruise
➡️ Mechanism: A typical bruise results from blunt force trauma that damages deeper blood vessels and tissues. Cupping, while creating suction, is not typically a blunt force impact.
➡️ Pain: Cupping marks are usually painless to the touch, unlike a bruise which is often tender and sore.
➡️ Healing:Cupping marks tend to fade relatively quickly, often within a few days to two weeks, depending on their g marks," "cupping kisses,"
