Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin of adhesion, restriction, and tender/trigger point for a few minutes to create suction. Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed. This may relieve muscle tension, which can improve overall blood flow and promote cell repair. It may also help form new connective tissues and create new blood vessels in the tissue.

The benefits of cupping therapy Cupping therapy as a type of deep-tissue therapy can help to decrease pain, alleviate the tension, increase flexibility and extension capabilities, heal from injuries or recover from surgeries faster, alleviate inflammation, increase fresh blood/lymph flow, and boost the body’s entire immune system.

So, many professional athletes such as Michael Phelps, Andy Murray, Mets baseball players use cupping as a secret weapon to reducing muscle tension, speeding recovery and improving overall performance. There are different methods of cupping, including: moving, fixed, wet, and dry cupping.

One of the most common side effects of cupping therapy is the skin around the rim of the cup may become irritated and marked in a red/purple circular pattern. You may feel lightheaded or dizzy during your treatment.

In order to avoid those side effects and increase treatment effect, Dr. Lee utilizes moving cupping therapy. Dr. Lee applies massage oil or cream on your skin in selected areas, puts the cups over the areas to be treated and then continuously move them around that affected areas, dragging them toward the lymphatic system which is your body’s filter giving natural detoxification process a boost.

WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS on October 2, 2018 Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, COI on January 3, 2019 — Written by Ashley Marcin