Cupping therapy has recently been gaining a lot of media attention. From celebrities sporting cupping marks on the red carpet, to professional athletes using this treatment as part of their pre- and post-event health regimens, many are skeptical and confused: What is Cupping Therapy? Does it work? What’s the deal with those spots?
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What is cupping?
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Cupping therapy promotes fresh oxygenated blood while also pulling stagnant blood out of a region stimulating healing. Cupping is generally painless procedure where a vacuum is created to enhance healing of restricted or damage connective tissue. The cups are than placed on the skin and kept on from five to ten minutes.
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How does cupping help?
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Potentially after any injury, areas that have been affected can now have a restricted blood and lymphatic circulation. Injured joints and connective tissues then become swollen and painful. This can be what is the causing stiffness, painful and limited range of motion. Over time, the body may be able to heal or compensate for these injured areas. Other times, the area continues to hurt and does not ever feel completely the same.  Cupping speeds up and assists the rate at which you heal and aids the body in its own ability to heal itself completely.  This is done by moving blood flow to the area and increasing circulation.
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After the therapy, cupping will often produce a red or purple circle upon the skin that may take a few days to a week to heal. These circular discolorations and bruising occur in the process of drawing this stagnation out of injured areas and promoting proper circulation . This specific  inflammatory response is all part of the healing process.Everyone heals at their own unique pace and and some of the healing will also depend on how active you are, how well you treat your body (diet, posture, stress management) and how often you come to therapy.
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Although cupping is a very safe and gentle therapy, if you are pregnant, have a circulation disorder, hemophilia, lupus, or diabetes, cupping may not be appropriate for you.
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So in summary, cupping can help you overcome old and new injury by:
Increasing circulation
Increasing oxygenation and cellular healing
Remove old stagnant blood
Cause micro trauma and beneficial inflammation
Create new blood vessels
Stretch and decompresses fascia and connective tissue "Reverse Massage".​

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