Cupping
“So what is this cupping thing anyway?” I’ve been asked this by several clients. We’ve all seen the photos of Michael Phelps in the Olympics with all those perfectly round bruise looking things on his back. So why are athletes all hopping on the train? What is the big deal?
Well, I’m as big a skeptic as anyone, so I started looking into it and had it done myself. And besides leaving baseball sized marks on my back, it really did help relieve my issues in the massage. After having received the training to be able to utilize this type of therapy and after seeing results from it in sessions, I wanted to share more about why this modality is a wonderful option in your upcoming massage with me. So here are some details for you researchers!
Where did cupping come from? It is actually an ancient Chinese medical practice and is based around the same principles as acupuncture, in that it is thought to help align energy or “qi”. But practically speaking, cupping targets soft tissue by applying local pressure to pain points and areas of swelling. As blood flow increases within vessels and capillaries, tissues receive much-needed nutrients and oxygen. Cupping practitioners can use pressure, heat, and suctioning above or below the site of injury or area of tension. I also like to think of it as reverse trigger point therapy. In massage of course, we are used to having an area that is sore or injured being worked with some level of pressure applied on or around that area. But with cupping, instead of pressing on the affected area, the cups are pulling the soft tissue up and into the cup, thus relieving the tension in that area.
Do the bruises hurt? Actually they don’t! During your session you may feel the cups pulling on the skin but the pressure can be lessened or increased depending on what the you are comfortable with. And after your cupping session the marks will fade within hours of the therapy.
- More energy flow: According to the Chinese, cupping can help in improving the flow of chi or energy in the body. It is said that cupping can suck the negative energy from the body to let the positive energy flow more freely. The cups are places on specific key points of the body where energy is said to be collected. When the body is full of positive energy, both physical and mental health will improve.
- Pain relief: When the heated cups are moved around the skin while the cup is still suctioned, it creates a massage-like feeling that can ease muscle pain. Proponents say that that a cupping treatment is more effective at pain relief than a traditional massage, and the effects last longer.
- Relaxes muscles: Cupping is a good technique that can ease muscle stiffness and increase blood flow. This leads to better oxidation of the muscles which can increase flexibility and reaction time.
- Stress removal: Cupping can be very relaxing to the body and the mind. Cupping is usually performed in a very relaxing and calm atmosphere. The therapist is very gentle with what they do, and the strokes that they make with the cup are very similar to most massage therapies.
- It improves digestion: Cupping therapies can help improve the digestive system when the cups are applied to the stomach area. By relaxing the stomach muscles and improving blood flow, it can increase nutrient absorption.
In your next session with me, let me know that you want to try cupping in your massage and let’s see how it works for you!
Here are a couple of articles that I cited if you are interested in digging a little deeper!
http://www.zliving.com/wellness/prevention-healing/cupping-an-ancient-chinese-relaxation-practice
https://draxe.com/cupping-therapy/