Cupping Therapy 101 – What It Is, Why to Get It and What to Expect By Tri Minh

Is the pain of cupping worth the end result? The truth is, even we aren’t sure. Pain by definition can be ‘real’ or ‘perceived’ and so the answer is personal to every individual patient. That being said, we see many great things happen over the course of a treatment. It is more common to see patients return with positive objective results. 

So what is therapeutic cupping exactly?

Therapeutic cupping involves the careful placement of therapeutic cups on the skin of the treatment areas. Air or heat is then manually pumped to create suction. This will create a vacuum to lift up the skin and underlying tissues. 

The cups can be left on the treatment area for a few minutes or continuously gliding along the tissue. The purpose is to promote healing and reduce pain by encouraging more blood flow to the area. 

The suction also creates a stretching sensation that can help loosen tight muscles, fascia, and other connective tissues. During cupping patients can expect some discomfort, redness, and skin irritation after treatment. Communicate with your therapist so they can adjust the amount of suction for a more comfortable experience. This could also decrease long lasting bruising.

Therapeutic cupping can be used to lengthen and stretch muscles, reduce pain sensitivity, and promote healing. It can also induce screaming, squirming, and sometimes swearing 😂 

Cupping is one of the many tools Barrhaven Health HUB’s physiotherapists use. It treats and manages pain, promotes healing and manipulates the body. If you have not tried cupping please ask your therapist if it is something that may help. It is widely used and accepted as a practice tool, and one of our favourites!