Cupping Therapy

(Myofascial decompression with dry suction cups)

What is cupping therapy ?

Cupping therapy is an old practice that has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine. For several centuries, it has been used to soothe pain. This is a therapy that leaves red marks on the parts of the body that have undergone treatment. Although it is the prerogative of ancient Chinese culture, cupping was also used by Greek civilization until the 20th century.

It is also a means of treatment recognized and used by Indian, Arab and even European therapists. According to a Chinese precept, practices linked to cupping are effective against almost half of common pathologies. This form of therapy was also cited by Hippocrates (430-377 BC) in his work “The Art of Healing”.

Practiced for millennia, cupping therapy is based on the use of suction cups from the arsenal of traditional Chinese medicine. In the past, these small bells were made of cow horn, earth or bamboo. Today, we find traditional suction cups, made of bamboo, but most suction cups are made of glass, plastic or plexiglass.

Concretely, they are placed on specific areas of the human body – acupuncture points and painful places – to act through a suction effect on the circulation, and thus release tension, stimulate the body and soothe numerous pathologies. The application is not painful and lasts around twenty minutes at most. Suction cups can also be used while moving on oiled skin.

What are the benefits ?

In addition to working on tissue restrictions and adhesions, cupping can provide several benefits, such as improving circulation, reducing muscle tension, increasing blood supply to an area, to name a few. .

There are several ways to use cupping, and the same goes for the reasons for consultation. In the clinic, they are often an excellent ally in various health problems, such as tendinopathy, lower back pain, tension headaches, plantar fasciitis, shoulder pain and during a recovery massage after a workout or workout. competition, for example. They can also promote a state of relaxation.

Thanks to suction cups, we can work on both the energetic and mechanical aspects.

For the energetic aspect, we are interested in the meridians and acupuncture points, which are generally located on the back. The goal is to regulate the energy of certain organs.

We can also work on the mechanical side of the body to relieve pain in particular. Cupping is also effective for rheumatism, or to overcome sciatica. Here too, to work on the mechanical aspect, we will be on points located at the back, and more rarely at the stomach.

Cupping also allows you to relax, by working on muscular tensions, and by removing blockages both in deep muscles and in energies that stagnate in certain areas of the body. In a way, we restart “the machine”, by toning these energies.

Let’s be clear, cupping is not intended to cure, but to relieve symptoms. They are used as a complement to a global approach, for their mechanical or energetic virtues. According to traditional Chinese medicine, they help release “fluids”, guarantors of our balance and our vital energy. The influx of blood under the cups stimulates blood circulation, which allows in particular:

• to relieve symptoms of stress

• to alleviate sleep disorders,

• to calm dermatological, digestive or gynecological pain,

• to resolve blockages (torticollis) and back problems,

• accelerate the recovery of tired muscles,

• to fight against respiratory and rheumatic ailments,

• to relieve sprains and other tendinitis,

• to treat pain due to osteoarthritis and neuralgia,

• etc.

Side effects ?

Cupping therapy is not supposed to be painful, but the procedure can be surprising the first time: it is possible to feel a sensation of heat (but not burning). The suction effect creates a draw of blood to the suction cup. The hematomas will be visible for 5 to 14 days and will appear less and less during the sessions.

Apart from these suction marks, if all precautions have been taken beforehand, there is no particular risk.

Myofascial decompression… what can it mean ?

First of all, we find three terms, the first of which is “decompression”. When a massage therapist applies pressure to your back with their hands or elbow on a muscle knot, we call it “positive pressure.” However, when the cups are applied to your back, they have a suction effect, which we can call « negative pressure » or « decompression. » Your skin, fascia and muscles are then pulled up rather than under pressure.

To continue, what does “myofascial” mean? In fact, we can split the word in two, starting with the word “myo,” which is a prefix from the Greek simply meaning “muscle.” Here, we are talking about our skeletal muscles, which have the function of moving part of our body.

These skeletal muscles have three connective tissue membranes :

1- the epimysium, representing the outer layer enveloping the muscle;

2- the perimysium, encompassing groups of muscle fibers within the muscle;

3- the endomysium, surrounding a muscle fiber.

This brings us to the term “fascial,” which refers to the connective tissues that make up the fascia. Fascia is present throughout our body under the skin and deeper too. They wrap the muscles, tendons and organs while supporting our skeleton and unifying the different parts of our body.

They have several functions, including the compartmentalization of muscles and also the transmission of force. Fascia is organized in functional chains, which we call “myofascial meridians.” These have an impressive resemblance to the tendon-muscular meridians in acupuncture.

Fascia is capable of contracting and exerting an influence on muscular dynamics. Their sensitive innervation participates in proprioception, which is the perception, conscious or not, of different parts of the body in space, both static and in movement. Fascia also participates in nociception, which is, for its part, the perception of stimulations that generate pain. Without a pain signal to warn us, we could injure ourselves more.

Fascia has long been considered an element of the human body of little interest or, let’s put it this way, rather poorly understood. Our body fascial framework is often compared to a diving suit, and a restriction in one area could impact the quality of movement or the appearance of discomfort even at a certain distance from the site of the tissue restriction.

Fascia, this organic substance that many compare to a spider’s web, is increasingly studied and understood. But there’s still a lot to discover about him!