My Journey to Healing - Cupping Therapy
A few months ago, my neck and shoulder started bothering me. What started out as a dull pain quickly turned into an intense one that interrupted my daily activities, like working out, sitting at my desk, and sleeping. Over four months, I tried deep tissue massages, foam rolling, and chiropractic therapy, all of which were very helpful but not sustainable on their own. The pain would go away for a few days and come back with a vengeance. Eventually, the pain made its way across my entire upper back.
I was frustrated and despondent about my condition. I was ready to throw in the towel and go to my primary doctor for pain management medication. Although I am very pro-medical, I didn’t want to cure my symptoms with pills; I wanted to get to the root of the problem.
My chiropractor recommended I try cupping therapy, and let me tell you, it was truly a Godsend.
The information I’m giving you is specifically about my experience with cupping therapy and not a medical recommendation. Please do your own research to find a good practitioner that works for you in your area.
What is cupping therapy?
Cupping is one of the OG in alternative medicine and has been around for thousands of years. According to Cleveland Clinic, cupping is an ancient healing therapy that people use to ease their pain. A provider places cups on your back, stomach, arms, legs, or other parts of your body. Inside the cup, a vacuum or suction force pulls the skin upward.
During my cupping session, the practitioner deep-massaged the area, placed silicone cups directly on my skin, where I was hurting the most. She then manually pumped to create a suction. The cups were then left on your skin for several minutes. The suction created by the cup increases circulation and blood flow - which in turn reduces pain.
The primary side effect I experienced with the cupping section was bruising (large perfect circles), which went away on their own in about 7-10 days. I look like a cheetah on one half of my back, and honestly, I kind of like it!
Cool Fact: The areas where my muscles were inflamed the most created heat within the cups, causing steam. Crazy right?
Did it Hurt?
Honestly, given that I went in with a pain level of 8 on a level scale of 1 to 10, it’s hard to say if the pain was from cupping or from the muscles themselves. In my case, I may have had a minor injury to my shoulder, a small tear, a few months back. Because I wasn’t doing active recovery during that time, my body tried to heal itself. While the body is amazing that way, it caused the muscle fibers to get a little gnarly, and there was very little blood flow in that area.
The cupping therapy broke up those fibers and allowed blood to flow to that area, causing some serious dark circles, aka bruising. The darker the circle, the more inflamed the area. The area that started all of this drama, my neck, looked like a black moon and stayed there for over a week. The rest of the area was slightly reddish and went away within three days.
Does it work?
Yes! I was not in pain for almost two weeks, double the time of the other methods I used. But, like everything, my journey is just beginning. I’ve had two cupping sessions so far, and the second session was less painful, and the circles were not as dark as the first time. I still have a long way to go until I’m completely healed and have been practicing more active recovery to keep going in the right direction.
Lesson: Don’t be like me, be better than me. Warm up before you work out, cool down the body after your workout, stretch! Use methods like foam rolling, heat and ice therapy, or restorative yoga. It all helps you stay healthy and doing the things you love. But, if you do end up in my position, I encourage you to give cupping therapy a try. It looks crazier than it feels!