‘Myofascial Cupping’ or ‘Cupping’ is an ancient Chinese therapy that applies a plastic cup to the skin, then the pressure in the cup is reduced by suction to draw and hold skin and superficial muscle tissue/fascia inside the cup. Sometimes, while the suction is active, the cup is moved, pulling the skin and muscle. This process is called ‘gliding cupping’. Cupping is applied to certain acupuncture points, as well as to parts of the body that have been affected by pain or muscle/fascia tightness where the pain is deeper than the tissues to be pulled. The cupping process draws blood from your vessels and into your tissue. Your body thinks it’s been injured, so the theory is that it ‘jumpstarts’ a positive inflammatory response, mobilizing antibodies to the area to try to heal it.
