Persistent muscle aches can hinder your ability to focus, stop you from the activities you love, and create irritability and stress for you and your family. Left untreated, they can create further postural problems as the body compensates to manage continued tightness and pain. However, relief is not far away with the power of cupping, along with acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy if needed.
Cupping Therapy for Low Back Pain
Cupping is an ancient technique that has been used in many cultures internationally to reduce pain and inflammation and support healing from certain diseases. It has been used as part of Chinese medicine to relieve damaged tissues as well as to aid immunity. Perhaps most famously, swimmer Michael Phelps used cupping to relieve muscle tension during the 2016 Olympics, during which he won five gold and one silver medal.
The process involves applying suction to (typically) glass cups that are placed in specific spots on the body. The suction creates essentially a reverse massage, pulling the affected tissues apart in order to create space for blood and lymph to circulate properly through the area, and to manually separate muscle tissue adhesions. The cups can be left in specific places on the body or pulled across the tissues to aid in release large areas of tension and adhesion. Most people experience the sensation as a deep massage.
In my practice, many patients have found great relief from persistent pains and decreased ranges of motion after even a single cupping session. Cups are frequently placed around the shoulder and neck area for upper back and neck soreness and tightness; below and around the shoulder joint for rotator cuff injuries; down the back for spinal muscle concerns; and on the thighs and lower legs for persistent pain and tightness of muscles in those areas.
If you’re seeking help for those nagging aches and pains, give me a call to see if cupping might be right for you!
