Why Cupping Therapy is my favorite base treatment at Level Up

Cupping therapy has been around since 3000 to 1500 BC and was first seen in cultures such as Ancient China, Greece, and Egypt. Back then they would use this to help overcome illness and pain. Egypt liked using cups to hep with appetite and menstrual cramps. Today we use cupping for a large variety of benefits to help people living pain free, increase range of motion, and help relax the body and muscles among other things.

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  People using Horn for cupping therapy

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  Cupping therapy being used on glutes

What Is Cupping Therapy?

Cupping therapy is a traditional healing practice that originally started using an enclosed tool on the skin and removing the oxygen using a pump or fire to create suction. This suction pulls the skin and underlying tissue upward which we call "negative pressure." The technique is used to improve blood flow, relieve muscle tension, and promote healing.

There are two main types of cupping:

• Dry cupping: Cups are placed on the skin with suction, but no bloodletting. This is what majority of practitioners prefer both therapeutically and legally within their scope of practice.

• Wet cupping: Before the cup is put on, small incisions are made to draw out a small amount of blood. When the cups are then used they bring the blood to the surface. The main benefit is to actually remove the blood rather than the lymphatic system doing all the work post session. This requires special training and extra special disposal and disinfection protocols.

  
  

The therapy is rooted in ancient Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian medicine but has been adapted worldwide. Practitioners use glass, bamboo, or silicone cups depending on the method and preference.

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  Wet Cupping

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  Showcaing cupping therapy

What are the benefits of Cupping Therapy?

The reason why Cupping therapy is ALWAYS used if clients are okay is because of how many great benefits it has and how effortlessly it accomplishes them. Those positive effects include but are not limited to:

Release Tight Muscle Tissue & Adhesion:

• Consistent pressure held over a certain amount of time (usually 30-45 seconds) causes muscle fiber receptors to fatigue and let go. Adhesions are micro-constrictions within muscle fibers so placing a cup over top of these or using a moving cup along it helps to release these spots.

Decompress and Mobilize Fascia:

• Underneath your dermis (skin) we have many layers of fascia, water and fat down to the muscle and bones and between all that we have the piping and conduit of the body (arteries, veins, lymph, nerves). Sometimes due to dehydration, poor movement patterns, and trauma these layers will become restricted and not move properly. Cupping helps to open up these layers and create more space for all the structures which has a variety of benefits. This can also hep to increase range of motion.

Increase Blood Flow

• By opening the fascia and releasing muscles we can help reduce pressure on the arteries/veins which will help prevent circulation from being cut off. Also cupping has the added effect of causing these structures to vasodialate (open wider) allowing for more transport of this nutrient rich blood.

"Stimulate" Lymphatic System

• While cupping does not does not do "manual lymphatic drainage" it does help to crease more space foe the lymphatic system to work properly, vasodialate the system, and when bloodflow is drawn to the surface helps bring it to a place where the lymphatic system can do its job properly.

Break Up Scar Tissue:

• Scar tissue is laid on top of damaged structures as a bandaid and the fibers can be laid in a variety of directions. Using cupping therapy with movement in the proper direction of the fibers can help to break this tissue up which will help with pain and increase range of motion.

Remove Stagnation:

• If cups are left in a single place for an extended period of time it can help bring up stagnant blood or other sticky protients which can coagulate and stick in the blood. Helping the body remove this is a great way to improve circulation and help the muscles recover better over time.

Increase Range of Motion:

• The benefits above such as releasing soft tissue and mobilizing fascia area great way to improve Range of motion.

Engage the Parasympathetic nervous system.

• The negative pressure of the cups which his more of a lift can be very sympathetically engaging.

Cupping offers a wide variety of amazing benefits that effortlessly fit into any massage. or treatment session. Even if we do a session of P-DTR on the muscles and how the nervous system incorporates them I still love cupping to make sure that those muscles leave feeling their best and ready to recover.