Cupping is a very popular technique made famous by professional athletes, but has been a treatment for many centuries in China. It promotes blood flow, releases muscle layers, and releases myofascial adhesion by decompressing the muscle, can decrease swelling and improve lymphatic flow.
There are different variations of Dry Cupping (using cups directly on the skin) vs Wet Cupping (involves controlled medical bleeding). I only perform Dry Cupping under the scope of Massage Therapy.
- Are there any side effects to be concerned about with cupping?
Bruising is most common, leaving circular patterns marked on your body from the cupping application, these can last days depending on your personal reaction and the depth of work penetrated to the tissues. Other possible, although not common, effects are: headaches/dizziness, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, fatigue, fainting, blistering. - Are there any reasons someone should avoid cupping?
Safety always comes first, if you have any of these conditions we will avoid cupping:
-cancer,
-pacemaker,
-hemophilia/bleeding disorders,
-organ failure, anemic,
-heart disease,
-using anticoagulant medication,
-or currently fighting an infection. - How are cups used in the massage?
We can set the silicon cups in a static position, meaning they are placed and do not move, can add range of motion of joint while cups are placed to increase blood flow and effective targeted work.
We can also use them for running or travelling application. I hold the cup and use it to physically move around the affected areas as part of your massage.
Flash cupping is the quick, repeated movement on a targeted area
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