Do you suffer from chronic pain? Cupping therapy may provide relief!
Cupping is an ancient treatment started in Chinese and Middle Eastern medicine. People have practiced cupping therapy for thousands of years to ease pain and other ailments. Our practitioners at Sports Medicine Experts use cupping therapy to treat pain.
This treatment technique is an ancient alternative medicine known as “tissue distraction release.” Cupping involves the placement of round cups directly on the skin in pain and/or tension areas. Ancient Chinese, Egyptian, and Middle Eastern societies first used cupping to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
If you’d like to try cupping or learn how it can help you relieve pain, request an appointment with Sports Medicine Experts as soon as possible!
What exactly is cupping therapy?
Have you seen people with circular bruises and wondered where they came from? Cupping involves the placement of round cups directly on the skin where you have pain or tension. The cups are heated, or a practitioner will use a pump to create the suction needed to hold them to your body. The cups are then left on your skin for several minutes each session.
Our Dundas & Ancaster, ON physiotherapists apply rubber or silicone cups to your skin during cupping therapy. The cups create a vacuum that causes the skin to rise and the blood vessels to enlarge. This helps relieve pain and induce relaxation while promoting increased blood flow to reduce inflammation.
Applying cupping to areas of tension and specific points of high irritability (i.e., trigger points) is a way to relieve musculoskeletal pain. Trigger points are thought to trigger local and referred pain and are often the result of trauma or overuse.
The exact mechanism of pain control is still being researched, with the leading theory being explained by Gate Control Theory. The gate control theory is essentially where a non-painful input (cupping) closes the nerve “gates” so the pain is blocked.
Nitric oxide is associated with muscle relaxation and less tension and pain. Muscle tension is also positively affected by cupping due to increased local blood flow. When blood flow is increased, nitric oxide levels are also increased.
What are the advantages of cupping therapy at our Dundas & Ancaster, ON physiotherapy center?
This treatment has many benefits.
Cupping effectively treats various conditions, including chronic neck pain, low back pain, fibromyalgia, and other musculoskeletal pain-related conditions. It can also help your skin, relieve respiratory problems, and aid digestion.
Research has demonstrated that it can help relieve pain and increase circulation in the cups’ area. It is a safe treatment, and for some, it is the treatment that helps get the ball moving towards recovery.
Contact Sports Medicine Experts right away to find the relief you have been looking for!
Are you tired of living with persistent pain and looking for an edge to help your recovery? You may benefit from cupping therapy. Call today to speak with one of our Dundas & Ancaster, ON physiotherapists to determine whether cupping therapy is right for you.