Archaic and effective: Myofascial Cupping Therapy
You may have seen Gwyneth Paltrow on the red carpet or Michael Phelps poolside with perfectly round bruise-like marks on their backs or shoulders. These are remnants of cupping therapy, an ancient Chinese medical technique.
I refer to it as Myofascial Cupping Therapy (MCT) because this name better explains the technique of using suction cups to release the myofascial complex: “myo”= muscle and “fascia”= connective tissue. Fascia is pronounced “fa-shee-ah”.
Research suggests that acupuncture’s effectiveness has to do with the fascial communication system. Channels or energy pathways almost always follow fascial lines and major acupuncture points occur at bifurcations of fascial planes.
Dr. Helene Langevin at the University of Vermont has researched connective tissue as it relates to acupuncture. A very good 10-minute explanation from Dr. Langevin can be heard here
Why do it?
MCT is used to:
open acupuncture or fascial channels, breaking up adhesions
decrease inflammation, relieving pain
improve perfusion and nourish the tissue
Say someone comes in with severe back pain and stiffness. They have had x-rays that have revealed no structural abnormalities. They have tried anti-inflammatories, massage therapy, physiotherapy, and nothing has given them any relief. Now they are starting to experience sciatica symptoms of tingling and burning pain down the legs.
When I palpate, their tissue feels hard and immoveable from the base of the skull, all along the spine and the backs of the legs to their ankles. They have the most tension in the lower back from L2-L5 vertebrae. In Chinese Medicine, we would call this Qi and Blood stagnation along the UB (urinary bladder). I could choose to do acupuncture points all along the UB channel but MCT is often more effective in this case.
How is it done?
I put some massage oil on the skin, along the spine and on the backs of their legs. Using a pair of hemostats, I soak a cotton ball in 99% alcohol and light it creating a large flame. Then quickly, I put the flame inside the glass cup for a second to remove oxygen within the cup and place it on the skin. The amount of suction created can be adjusted by letting some air into the cup to lessen the pull.
On either side of the spine, I often will slide the cup slowly from occipital to sacrum, releasing the tissue along this fascial plane. This may sound painful but it is not! It is incredibly relieving and I find that people who don’t like massage, LOVE this type of moving cupping. It is not as comfortable doing this on the back of the leg, however occasionally the IT (ileotibial) band can be released this way.
Then I may leave cups on the legs in specific areas following the sciatic nerve route for about 5 minutes each, then moving them slightly to release the entire fascial line.
Cups may stay on for up to 10-15 minutes, after which I would do acupuncture at points to assist in further release of the UB channel. It is not uncommon for the patient to get off the table and feel immediately 50% less pain, less tingling in the legs and more mobile in general.
Do the purple marks always come up and are they necessary?
No and no. The purple marks that may come up depend very much on the patient’s constitution and the severity of injury.
If for example someone has been in a car accident and has severe shoulder pain and immobility, we can expect the cups to leave dark purple marks. Of course, patients who bruise easily or those on blood thinners, we take caution with and may not be able to use MCT in these cases.
The marks left by MCT are also dependent on the practitioner’s intention. I often use only medium-strength suction with the cups so as to release the fascia without unnecessarily leaving marks on the patient. If I am addressing scar tissue at a deeper level due to long term injury, I may make the suction cup strength stronger.
Are more cups better?
No. I’ve seen many posts with patients sporting 30 cups all over their back. Maybe this feels relieving initially, but often will leave patients feeling discombobulated and fatigued. Focused MCT is the key. Practitioners should focus on the problem area and channel(s) affected. Like acupuncture, we consider the person’s constitution (robust or weak), the season (in winter, cupping should be used sparingly because it is a time for restoration) and their stature and age.