What is Myofascial Cupping?
Myofascial Cupping is the use of cups to create a suction on the skin. Using a suction tool, the cups can be placed at any intensity level at the comfort level of the client. It can be easily adjusted throughout the appointment.
What Injuries/Ailments do you use Cupping for?
Shin splints
IT Band pain/tension
Patello Femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS)
Knee osteoarthritis
Sciatica
Back pain
Neck pain
Rotator cuff injuries
Sprains & strains
Tennis elbow
and more!
What Symptom Changes could I Expect?
Less pain
More mobility
Increase in strength
Improvement in sensation
(Please read my musing below)
“Sometimes the things we do help, just maybe not for the reasons we think they help.”
Why do some People get a Mark?
We are told in school that this is because we are bringing “blood flow and toxins” to the surface and that is what creates the color. I think there are many possibilities, but we don’t actually know the answer. There is too much variability from one client to the next to be sure. Also - what is toxins?
Cupping marks can vary in colour. They can be light, red, so dark they are almost black, or they may not appear at all.
Are the Cupping Marks Painful?
They are not usually painful, but can sometimes be tender to the touch 24-48 hours after a session, similar to the type of feeling you can get after an intense workout or massage. If a client experiences this and doesn’t like the feeling, I typically will suggest heat or an epsom salt bath. Why epsom salt bath? Because clients have told me it helps - not sure why it helps but it is the feedback I have received :)
When can I get Cupping?
I recommend cupping for subacute/chronic concerns. More specifically, after the swelling, redness, warmth, and muscle spasm is no longer occuring.
So, How Exactly does Cupping Work?
Are you prepared to step into the Matrix that is my brain? Enjoy!
“The answer is out there, Neo, and it’s looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.” -The Matrix
This is a question I get asked over and over, and my answer seems to always be changing. Please bear with me through my musings about cupping. If you want to know what I tell clients (now) feel free to scroll all the way to the bottom of this blog :)
A mentor of mine (Teresa Waser) has this analogy that I so very much enjoy as an explanation for all modalities and their interaction with the nervous system and thinking about it sends me down this rabbit hole of feeling like I am in the Matrix…
“Unfortunately, no one can be told what The Matrix is. You will have to see for yourself.” - The Matrix
For cupping, acupuncture, massage, and mobilizations; I tell the stories of what I learned in courses, the things I felt, personally experienced, and the experiences of my clients.
What is Myofascial Cupping?
Here is what I was taught in my cupping course, and what I used to tell clients for the longest time:
Cupping helps to separate the layers of fascia. Fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds the body, your organs, your bones and your muscles. Cupping helps to pull stagnant blood (blood that doesn’t move around well) to the surface to allow new blood underneath to promote healing. It can help to decrease pain, increase range of motion, and increase strength.
“What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.” - The Matrix
Teresa explains modalities and their effect on the body like this (I may be paraphrasing): “Modalities speak to people the same way that music speaks to people." Think of a modality as a type of music. Cupping might be Jazz, Acupuncture might be Rock, Blading might be Country. Most people have a favorite type of music, and enjoy one type of music over another. Or maybe they like all types of music. If we take that back to the body, everything we do with the body, every modality we use with the body, is really just another way to interact with the nervous system.” What works for one person, may not work for another. What feels good to one person, may not feel good to another person. You have to find what works for them.
That being said, If everything we do is just an effect on the nervous system, then does it really matter what we do? Won’t we technically still get the same end result with whatever treatment we choose?
Isn’t it really just based on the individual person and their past experiences? Their BAMS and BAA’s? (Beliefs, Attitude, Meaning, Stories, and Biases and Assumptopms)
“If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” - The Matrix
So here is my new explanation of cupping
In reality, cupping is just one out of many different ways of interacting with the nervous system to assist your body in its natural healing process. While cupping can feel like a hug or a pulling on the skin, it may give you more range of motion, more mobility, more strength, and less pain.
You should enjoy cupping and enjoy the feeling of cupping.
If you like the way it feels, and you like the result you get, then go for it! If you don’t like the feeling, you don’t like the result, and you don’t like the cupping marks it leaves, then don’t do it. We can find another way to interact with your nervous system.
Everyone will react differently to a stimulation; each modality may be different at different points in your healing timeline, just like every person will enjoy the taste of different foods at different times in their life. What you like today, may not be what you like down the road, and what works for you today, may not work for you tomorrow.
I am here to guide and help you in whichever way will benefit you most.
