Cupping Therapy

Chances are you’ve heard of ‘cupping’, seen the strange marks it leaves, but might not have tried it or have any clue what it is! Let’s illuminate this mysterious practice and find out what cupping is, the benefits, any side-effects or risks, and whether it might be a good option for you...

Cupping – what is it?

Cupping is an ancient therapeutic practice where ‘cups’ (usually made from glass or silicon these days) are placed on the skin using suction, intending to stimulate the body’s healing response. I use glass cups in my clinic, and briefly hold a flame inside to create negative pressure, so when I quickly place the cup onto your skin the suction draws the skin up into the cup and it stays attached.

The number and size of the cups used will depend on the area and issue being treated, but for example, a basic back/shoulder treatment might have six to eight cups. Massage oil is put on the skin beforehand so if needed it is easy to move the cups around; either to sit in new positions, or as a massage tool itself. The cups will usually be left on for between 5 and 15 minutes, or sometimes ‘flash cupping’ is done where a cup is quickly attached and released in the same spot a few times.

There is also a practice called ‘wet cupping’ where a small amount of blood is drawn inside the cup, but I don’t personally practice this in my clinic.

How does it feel?

The general consensus is it feels great! It basically feels like what it is – a sustained squeeze and stretch of the skin and underlying connective tissue/fascia. I liken a back full of cups to a tight ‘tortoise shell’ feeling, and when they are removed it feels like a lovely relief as the skin relaxes.

Benefits

Cupping stimulates blood and lymph circulation; reducing pain & inflammation, improving mobility, and increasing immune function. In Chinese medicine, it is said 'where there is pain there is stagnation'. Cupping can be used to target specific areas of pain and help to move stagnant blood and fluid out through the tissues to disperse, and allow fresh nutrients to flush through and improve function.

Risks/side effects

A cupping session will often leave some temporary marks on the skin – these look like circular bruises but are not painful at all, and will usually disappear within a week. They vary in depth of colour depending on skin tone, the tightness of the cups’s suction, and length of time the cup is attached. Often if an area is cupped regularly, the marks will reduce in intensity, indicating a positive change in the circulation to that area – the stagnant stuff has moved on out.

Cupping is pretty much risk free, with the most likely but still very uncommon risk being mild burns from fire cupping – this should be completely avoidable but it is possible to overheat the rim of the cup, or if too much methylated spirits is used to create the flame then drips can form. Wet cupping can potentially cause skin infections, but again for a qualified practitioner this shouldn’t be a problem.

Is Cupping for You?

Feel free to ask for cupping in your next session! I mainly use it in conjunction with massage and/or acupuncture, but if you’ve read this and would like to try a cupping-only session simply get in touch and we can make that happen too.