Cathy Orlando Physical Therapy
How does Cupping work?
Cupping therapy is great for a more efficient myofascial/connective tissue release and to promote improved blood flow (where it was previously lacking). Think of connective tissue as thick cobwebs interlaced between skin & muscle or muscle to muscle and imagine if you did a close-up on muscle that there are small fibers parallel to each other that glide back and forth when you move. When you strain or injure areas, those cobwebs and/or muscle fibers can get “congested” and bind up or “clump together” (hence trigger points). If those areas are bound up, blood flow can also be inhibited; which perpetuates the cycle of getting tighter, easier to re-strain, and then even less blood flow to the area.
What does Cupping do?
Cupping helps to break up the bound tissue, the congested blood gets pulled superficially by way of pressure, and you find you feel looser and more flexible once they come off and tend to stay looser because of renewed blood flow to the area! Typically, the darker the cup mark, the more congested the area was.
What areas can Cupping treat?
Cupping can help treat all the joints, muscle, and myofascia of the body to help with joint pain (knee, hip, ankle, foot, shoulder, elbow, wrist), spine pain (neck, mid-back, low back), can help release along the nerve pathways to help decrease the pull on the nerve, and promote restoration of blood flow/circulation to areas of strained muscle.