Cupping therapy has ancient roots, but if you are dealing with persistent muscle tension and pain, it can work very well alongside modern physical therapy methods. The benefits of cupping for healing acute muscle pain are many, and it may also be helpful for certain chronic conditions. Your physical therapist may recommend cupping for improving circulation, lowering persistent muscle tension, and hastening the process of injury recovery.
At JAG Physical Therapy, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania’s local PT source, we offer various specialized treatment methods at our state-of-the-art clinics, which includes cupping at many locations. When you are assessed for your personalized treatment plan, your therapist will help you determine if cupping or other holistic methods are right for you. Book an appointment now to get started or read more on how cupping works and who can benefit from it.
What Is Cupping Therapy and How Does It Work?
Different forms of cupping have been used in medicine at least as far back as ancient Greece, and the practice is also strongly associated with Chinese and Middle Eastern traditional medical lore. Older forms of cupping involved fire, burning herbs, or bloodletting, but today’s dry cupping as used in physical therapy is minimally invasive and safe.
In modern dry cupping, sterile, slightly heated suction cups are placed on the skin, typically in a large and well-muscled body region such as the chest or back. Negative pressure from a difference in air temperature adheres the cups, drawing areas of muscle tissue and blood vessels upwards. This naturally reduces muscle tightness by making the fibers stretch in the opposite direction from the tension. By temporarily opening up the blood vessels via the same action, including ones deep in tissue, cupping can also locally stimulate blood flow.
What Are the Benefits of Cupping Therapy for Pain Relief?
Targeted musculoskeletal pain relief is one of the primary purposes of modern cupping. This is why it is utilized for back and neck pain due to an injury, soreness after manual work, and sports injuries. The process of cupping first and foremost increases circulation to sore or injured muscles, speeding up healing by allowing the body to deliver more needed nutrients, blood cells, and biochemicals. The negative pressure produced also helps deal with stiffness by resolving myofascial tightness and allowing shortened tissue to lengthen again.
How Does Cupping Therapy Support Muscle Recovery?
Even if you are not recovering from an injury, cupping can be helpful after an intense workout. In this instance, using cupping lets you recuperate faster and get more out of your workout in several ways. You’ll be able to recover faster and cut down on fatigue because of improved oxygenation of your muscles. Your body may also eliminate lactic acid faster, further speeding up the post-workout process. Muscles tend to be more flexible after cupping, and more range of motion means a heavy workout doesn’t have to disrupt your routine.
Other than simply getting rid of aches faster, a muscle recovery routine using cupping will give you better performance. You’ll be able to play sports at a more rested level, and if you aren’t dealing with the bad aftereffects of hard fitness training, you can exercise more consistently. You may even find yourself making fewer excuses to skip days!
Is Cupping Therapy Right for You?
While cupping therapy is used by Olympians and other athletes at the highest level in all sports, it has good results for everyday people also. Among those who might want to consider cupping are recreational athletes having issues with post-game recovery, people with chronic pain and fatigue specifically affecting the muscles, and patients rehabilitating from an injury. Ultimately, though, whether you should use cupping therapy depends on your overall health conditions. A PT professional will let you know if cupping is right for you.
Experience the Benefits of Cupping Therapy at JAG Physical Therapy
JAG Physical Therapy’s custom treatments for each of our patients incorporate many specialized PT methods. If you are someone who might benefit from cupping therapy, we will use this modality alongside manual therapy, exercise, and much more to get your muscles feeling their best. Book an appointment with us today to get started with the PT care that’s right for you.