Cupping

Chinese medicine practitioners have been using cupping therapy successfully for generations. Tiffany Zarcone, PT, DPT, and her team at Clifton Physical Therapy in Clifton, New Jersey, provide cupping as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, including back, neck, and joint pain. Call the office to learn more about cupping, or book an appointment online today.

What is cupping?

Cupping is a method of healing where your provider places the open side of a cup against your skin, then creates a vacuum to gently pull your skin, muscles, and the fascia surrounding your muscles into the cup.

As the tissue rises into the cup, blood flow increases to deliver extra oxygen, healing cells, and nutrients. Improved circulation also helps your lymph system remove more cellular waste and toxins from your tissues. Cupping is a form of acupuncture, but you could liken it to a reverse massage, where the cups pull on the muscles rather than push.

In traditional Chinese medicine, cupping practitioners put a burning substance inside the cup to create a vacuum as the air cools. Modern cups have a built-in pump that pulls air out to produce the vacuum.

What conditions can cupping treat?

The Clifton Physical Therapy team might recommend cupping to patients experiencing pain, stress, muscle tension, and stiffness. Conditions cupping can treat include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain

Athletes can use cupping to encourage muscle recovery, as it draws lactic acid (an exercise by-product) and toxins from the muscles.

Are there different types of cupping?

There are several types of cupping, including:

Static cupping

Static cupping targets the deeper muscles, with the cups staying in place for a while after suctioning.

Dynamic cupping

With dynamic cupping, your provider glides a silicone cup across the skin’s surface.

What happens during cupping?

Cupping doesn’t require any special preparation, anesthesia, or sedation. Depending on where your provider positions the cups, you may lay on your back or front. Back cupping is the most common.

Treatment time varies from 2-10 minutes; you can continue your day as usual afterward. The only side effects you might experience are round bruises from the cup.

Call Clifton Physical Therapy or book an appointment online today to learn how you could benefit from cupping.