I am guessing at some point in your life, you have heard of cupping. Its in my opinion that any remedial practitioner and myotherapist worth their salt will utilise this amazing modality within their treatment plan. Why? Because it works!
But I realise its going to take more than telling you it works for you to try. Its different and weird, so having some understanding of how it works for you may be what’s needed to give this treatment style a go.
We could talk for hours about how amazing it is, in fact, I have been knowns to crack open a bottle of red and passionately discuss cupping (weird, I know).
Short of being able to share a glass with you, I thought I would create a simple blog post with three main reasons why we love cupping here at GRMM
1. Cupping increases the blood flow to the area
Red blood cells carry oxygen; it’s this golden nugget that creates chicken soup (sorry vegans and vegetarians) for the muscles. Our systems need oxygen to move & heal, & it’s often our tight underactive / overactive muscles that are lacking the substance it needs to move well & feel less pain. Cupping allows for more oxygen in the muscles.
2. Cupping may help in detoxifying
There is no research evidence to back what I am saying here but hear me out. The directional pull from the cup that pulls the skin and muscles in the cup area, is receiving the blood flow as stated in the previous point; as the oxygen increases to the area, there is often by product that was stagnant in the muscles, released. Lactic acid for example is a by-product of muscles being exercised & is often stagnant around the cells; to be removed from the body, the body pumps back into the lymphatic system to be filtered. The good stuff is redistributed into the body, & the bad stuff is excreted. It can only be pumped out via a one-way valve back to this filter system; often relying on the muscles to contract to pump it back. Cupping assists this pumping action by drawing the blood to the area, it also acts as a pump. The more assistance to pump the by-products out, the more chance your body can detoxify from them.
3. Cupping stretches the connective tissue (fascia).
This is the fundamental reason why we use cupping @ GRMM. Imagine Fascia is like glad wrap. It holds everything together. From the skin to the muscles, to the muscle fibre, to the ligaments, to the tendons, right down to the bones. There are layers upon layers of this beautiful tissue within our bodies.
The makeup of fascia tissue is very different to that of muscle tissue. Research has shown that it responds beautifully to intricate stretching. Under a microscope, it can be seen the tissue reorganises itself, releases its water content, reabsorbs the water, therefore, lubricates, which is when it’s in its optimal form.This means the other tissues, such as muscles fibres that are within its holding, can move better & feel normal again.
**please talk to your GRMM therapist to see if cupping is ideal for your body. Whilst we LOVE cupping, we understand its not for everyone and therefore tailor your treatment plan accordingly**
