WHAT IS CUPPING THERAPY?

What does Cupping Therapy treat?

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​Cupping treats a wide range of conditions and symptoms resulting from poor circulation, injury,  or poor and painful movement in order to improve and promote your overall well being. Potential conditions and symptoms that cupping may be indicated for include but are not limited to:

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• Muscle Damage caused by strenuous physical exercise 

• Back Pain caused by lifting heavy objects 

• Joint Pain as a result of a previous injury or a repetitive strain

• Delayed healing of an injury secondary to poor blood flow

• Swelling and edema related to poor lymphatic drainage

• Persistent and unrelenting pain

• Muscle Spasm

• Poor mobility caused by scar tissue and adhesions

• Trigger points

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Where can you try Cupping Therapy?

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Here at Restorative Therapy Co. in Virginia Beach, we offer holistic cupping therapy by combining other therapies such as dry needling, IASTM, and yoga to provide you with a unique treatment plan, tailored to your recovery, so you can get back to living life better! 

 

Why should I consider Functional Cupping?

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Our patients have experienced amazing results using Functional Cupping (also known as Cupping Therapy With Movement or Myofascial Cupping With Movement) to improve a variety of medical issues ranging from damaged soft tissue from injury, to muscle knots related to stress, and age related stiffness.

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Functional Cupping is an increasingly common therapy for runners, athletes, and active people.  Functional Cupping is the application of cups to create a vacuum that lifts the skin and encourages blood circulation to areas of pain while the body is in motion.  As a vacuum is created, the cups simultaneously draw toxins away from damaged tissue and make the lymphatic drainage system work more effectively.  With Functional Cupping, the cup is slid across the injured area. This manages pain and helps achieve a greater range of movement to speed up your recovery.

 

How often can you have Cupping Therapy?

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​Depending on your age and physical condition, you may benefit from daily sessions to quickly relieve pain so that you can return to a normal life. For chronic pain, Cupping Therapy is usually recommended on alternate days (i.e. 1-3 times a week) combined with or without other therapies such as yoga, to provide a holistic treatment that will make you feel better sooner. 

 

How do I prepare for Cupping Therapy?

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​Before arriving for your Cupping Therapy you need to be well hydrated which is why we recommend that you drink up to 6 – 8 standard cups of water over the 2-3 hours before you start. By taking on extra fluid, you will also help your body to flush away any excess toxins that have built up.

 

Depending on the area of your treatment, we also recommend that you arrive wearing comfortable loose fitting clothes that you may need to roll up or remove during your treatment for cup placement. Please be prepared to discuss with your therapist any supplements or medications you are currently taking and have your medical history at hand.

 

What to expect after Cupping Therapy?

 

After each Cupping Therapy session there is a possibility that you may feel fatigued, even for a full day after your treatment. Just as you would with any other Holistic Therapy treatment, such as massage or dry needling, postpone strenuous physical activities or commitments immediately following treatment. 

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How long do Cupping Therapy marks last?

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It is usual for the large dots left by the cup suction to fade away after five to ten days without any intervention. We will typically perform manual soft tissue mobilization/manipulation to improve mobility but also to decrease the appearance of marks (sometimes referred to as Cupping Bruises) following cupping treatment. 

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To more quickly get rid of Cupping Marks, we recommend that you drink plenty of water- this will aid the lymphatic drainage system. You can also gently self massage the dots with very light pressure.

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What are the benefits of Cupping Therapy?

 

Over recent years Cupping Therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment in the developed world. It is widely sought after because it is a simple and cost effective way to manage pain, release tension, and promote healing to damaged muscle and soft tissue. Cupping Therapy can be described as the inverse of a massage, where, instead of applying pressure to muscles and underlying tissues, the technique uses gentle suction to pull them upward to help release stagnated blood, offload pressure on sensitive tissue, and flush toxins out the body.

 

Does Cupping Therapy help back, neck and joint pain?

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Most commonly, people seek cupping therapy to successfully treat pain, tender muscle knots, stiffness and pain in the lower back, shoulders, neck, jaw, legs, ankles, plantar fascia and arms.  Many of these conditions are related to muscle tension which can be released by the suction created by cupping. Another common problem is herniated discs in the spine. By cupping in the area of sensitivity associated with the herniated disc(s), pain can be mitigated thus allowing for the opportunity for you to move in a pain free and threat free environment. This then allows you to regain your lost mobility. Combined with therapeutic exercise, cupping can assist in improving numbness and pain related to the trapped or pinched nerve caused by the herniated disc. The cups can either be left stationary or can be drawn over the surface of the back to produce a comfortable pressure equivalent to a deep tissue massage- the effects of which can penetrate a depth of up to 4 inches into the body’s tissue.

 

Why do athletes use Cupping Therapy?

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Cupping Therapy is commonly used by runners, cyclists, gymnasts, tennis players, golfers, bodybuilders and other athletes as an accessible, non-invasive and straightforward treatment. It provides immediate relief for knotted muscles, and chronic muscle pain.  The theory behind Cupping Therapy is that it moves or stimulates your body's natural energy via the nervous system and increases blood supply to a specific area. Athletes use Cupping Therapy during recovery to support the healing of sore, tired muscles and damaged tissue. 

 

Functional Cupping is the most dynamic form of this Cupping Therapy and helps athletes regain full range of mobility in a time effective and less intrusive way than other therapies and interventions. Most significantly Functional Cupping reduces dependency on analgesic drugs for pain relief.