Pain and Injury Treatments

Muscle tissue that is tight and restricted tends to be lacking in blood flow and circulation. This can lead people to experience many different issues including: limited range of motion, posture imbalances, cramping, muscle weakness, and pain.

Cupping (also known as Myofascial Decompression) is the practice of utilising negative pressure (suction) to draw circulation and blood flow to a specified location based on where the cup is placed on the body. This blood flow provides tight muscles with much-needed nutrients and
allows the tissue to become warm and relaxed. It is a great way to loosen tight muscle and reduce muscle adhesions (knots), all while providing a gentle stretch via suction. People will often use cupping to help with a wide variety of issues including:

• Tension Headaches
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Postural Deviations
• Limited Range of Motion
• Tension and Pain
• Anxiety and Stress

The most common areas where cupping is used to relieve pain and tension are in the back,
shoulders, arms, hips, legs, and feet.

A common form of treatment used within the sports massage and biomechanic community is called Myofascial Release. “Myofascial” is a word used to simply reference muscle fascia.

Fascia is a type of connective tissue that surrounds all of our muscles. This is what allows the muscles to slide smoothly against each other without difficulty during movement. When people go through long periods of inactivity, become injured, or have surgery, this tissue that is normally flexible and supple, becomes stiff with reduced elasticity and can become stuck. This effects our ability to move properly because the muscles cannot glide as they should. Over time, the restriction brought on by stiff fascia can lead to compensation patterns in our body and problems with posture. A common example of a compensation pattern is where someone is using one side of their body more than the other.

Cupping is a great treatment option for people seeking help with myofascial issues. The negative pressure from the suction allows this fascia surrounding our muscles to become gently stretched and mobilised. The benefits felt as a result of cupping therapy for myofascial issues are things like increased range of motion and restoring elasticity to fascial.

During the cupping process, blood is drawn into a single point where the cup is placed. This will cause the skin to appear pink or red. After the cupping session is complete, some people will experience circular marks on their skin. This is often mistaken for a bruise, but this is actually not the case. Because bruising involves broken blood vessels in the body, these marks are different as there is no tissue damage. Marking is very normal and the amount of marking varies from person to person. These marks will disappear over time as one of our natural filtration systems – the lymphatic system – takes this excess fluid away. It usually takes 7 to 10 days for the marks to fade based on a person’s hydration and physical activity levels.

Cupping also has known benefits for helping assist our body in the removal of various toxins in the body. The fluid that is drawn up during cupping can help remove things like cellular byproducts, environmental toxins, and pharmaceutical waste from muscle tissue. Due to our lymphatic system taking this residual fluid away to the kidneys and liver, it’s very important that the person receiving cupping be healthy and not experiencing any illnesses as this flow of excess toxins can overload the body’s filtration system.

It is very important to be aware of the following prior to coming in for a cupping session:

• Stay properly hydrated. Hydration is important to allow our skin to be supple and move properly. This helps ensure a comfortable cupping session.

• Do not shave any area where you wish to be cupped. Skin that is recently shaved is sensitive and easily irritated.

• Skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and sunburns should be healed and not in an active flare-up.

• Consult our list of contraindications. Prior to booking, you will be asked to sign a form ensuring that you do not have any medical occurrences where cupping would not be advised.

As with things like diet and exercise, our body takes time to adapt to changes. Cupping is no different. Frequency of treatment can be as often as once a week. With continued cupping sessions over time, the effects are accumulative. Increased relaxation, range of motion, and decreased pain are just some of the many benefits that people will experience with continued sessions.

After receiving a cupping session, it’s important to avoid any strenuous physical activity for up to 48hrs and to remain properly hydrated. Once the initial 48hrs have passed and your muscles have had a chance to rest, you may resume physical activity. Because our lymphatic system can only circulate with movement, things like walking and running will help reduce the cupping marks more quickly