Cupping involves putting special cups on your skin and  creating suction, to draw the skin up and into the cup.  Cupping therapy is used for many different purposes including;

To ease pain

For inflammation

To improve blood flow

For relaxation

and as a form of deep tissue massage

Cupping therapy has been around for thousands of years, it was originally performed using animal horns and then later from bamboo and then ceramic.

When experiencing cupping therapy for the first time you will feel either the vaccum pressure or the heat method drawing the skin up into the cup. Your skin may turn red  where the cups are placed and may leave what looks like a bruise. However this is NOT a bruise. The vacuum formed by the cupping draws up the old non – circulating stagnant blood and sticky fluids from the area and brings it up to surface and away from the injury so that healthy free circulation can be restored to the area.

The color and  the pattern of the cupping marks will depend on the level of stagnation in the area. Colors will vary from bright red to a dark purple and can last from 3 days to a week (sometimes longer). If there is no stagnation present then there will only be a pink color for a few hours. 

Where there is an old trauma to the area it may require multiple cupping treatments which will remove the stagnation and cupping marks will be lighter with each treatment.

The cups are generally left on for about 5 – 10 minutes. ( unless receiving a  Flame Russian Cupping Massage, where the cups will glide all over the body)

Cupping can also be applied over bony landmarks like knees and elbows with a specially made dough.

If you have any question about Cupping, please feel free to contact Virginia at Golden Plains Myotherapy & Massage Clinic, located just out side Bannockburn.