What is Cupping Therapy?
Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine that dates back thousands of years. The therapist puts cups on the body and creates suction through the cup to lift up the superficial layers. This causes the skin to redden as the blood vessels expand to bring more blood flow to the local area to facilitate healing. The cup is generally left in place for up to 5-10 minutes.
There are two different forms of cupping:
- Wet Cupping Therapy
- This is when tiny cuts are made on the skin and then the suction from the cup is used to draw out a small quantity of blood. It’s believed that wet cupping removes harmful substances and toxins from the body in order to promote healing. However, this is not proven.
- Dry Cupping Therapy
- This is when no incisions are made to the skin and the treatment solely involves the use of the suction from the cup to create change. Dry cupping is what our physiotherapists offer at Therapy X.
Do you use fire in your treatment?
At Therapy X, we do not use fire cupping.
There is a technique where fire is involved to create a vacuum with the cup, however, at Therapy X, no fire is involved. Rather, we will use either a silicon or plastic cup to create the suction needed for the treatment. Sometimes, your therapist may also slide the cup along your body in different directions for myofascial release.
Benefits of cupping?
- Relieves pain
- Relieves muscle tension
- Improves range of motion and mobility
- Improves blood flow
- Myofascial release
- Great adjunct to different forms of treatment for a variety of issues and conditions
What to expect after my cupping treatment - Side effects
There aren't many side effects from cupping aside from aesthetics.
There aren’t many side effects associated with cupping therapy aside from aesthetics. After treatment, the skin may have darkened circles where the cups were placed. These will initially appear red, and depending on the dysfunction of the area, they may even be a dark purple. After a couple days, the colour will fade into what looks like a bruise, and then it fades away after a couple more days.
Is Cupping Therapy Covered Under My Insurance?
In short, yes!
Since our physiotherapists can offer cupping therapy as part of your treatment plan, it will fall under the category of Physiotherapy and therefore will be covered. However, a detailed assessment will be performed first by your physiotherapist before discussing treatment options to ensure you get the best care possible. We also offer direct billing so you don’t have to bother with claiming the session yourself as we want you to focus solely on healing!
Interested in knowing more about cupping therapy and all it has to offer? Come in for an assessment at our Vancouver location!
With care,
Therapy X Collective
