Cupping Therapy is a beneficial therapy used for various things, including discomfort or pain. Many alternative treatment options can help lessen or even eliminate the discomfort and/or pain that people go through. Since cupping is one of the more beneficial options, many people are choosing it, including athletes.

The premise of cupping stems more than 2000 years ago. It is a traditional Chinese medicine option that requires a professional to place cups on a patient’s body, which can be made using glass, bamboo, iron, or pottery. Since there are three different cupping options, dry, air and wet, it is first important to learn about these options to choose the right one. According to Cleveland Clinic, in air cupping, the cup is placed on the skin and a suction device removes the air from the cup to create a vacuum. In dry cupping, the caregiver soaks a cotton ball or other material in alcohol, lights it, and places it inside the cup to remove the oxygen. In wet cupping, the caregiver punctures the skin slightly to draw a small amount of blood and then places the cups on the patient’s body. 

Why do athletes choose to use this alternative therapy option?

Many athletes are choosing to undergo cupping treatment to experience one or more of the benefits that come with it. This includes top athletes from around the world, especially those who are competing in the Olympics. While cupping is an ancient Chinese therapy option that has been used for thousands of years, athletes who choose to undergo this therapy treatment can expect to benefit from the improved techniques that are now being used to perform this treatment.

The many athletes who do choose to undergo cupping therapy will often do so before participating in their sport, as well as after. Most have a goal of addressing specific aches and pains within their body, as they want to heal these areas as much as they possibly can before participating in their chosen sport. For athletes who have been diagnosed with a specific injury or have had to undergo a surgical process, cupping therapy can be used to help their bodies heal faster.

Cupping can even be used to help decrease an athlete’s recovery time after they have undergone strenuous training. The fact that cupping can help stimulate the chemical breakdown of any toxins within the body, means that athletes who need their muscles and tissues to heal quickly can expect this to happen when undergoing cupping therapy. Since cupping also helps to reduce any inflammation within the body, athletes can expect an improvement in their blood flow, which in turn is beneficial when it comes to boosting their body’s immune system. A few specific conditions that cupping can address in athletes include plantar fasciitis, hamstring strains, sore muscles, and back pain. 

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Cupping Therapy