Cupping makes the pain go away

Massage therapist uses suction cups to provide tension relief for clients

A form of alternative medicine called cupping is being used to relieve muscle pain all over the body.

The ancient holistic practice uses suction cups to relieve pain by loosening the muscle. It has been used for thousands of years according to an article on the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine website.

“One of the earliest documentations of cupping can be found in the work titled “A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies,” which was written by a Taoist herbalist by the name of Ge Hong and which dates all the way back to 300 AD. An even earlier Chinese documentation, 3,000 years old, recommended cupping for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis,” stated the oriental medicine website.

Muscle pain is a condition that just about everybody has experienced at least once in their life. Pain that continues, also known as chronic pain, can affect someone’s ability to move and function properly.

“The costs of unrelieved pain can result in longer hospital stays, increased rates of rehospitalization, increased outpatient visits, and decreased ability to function fully leading to lost income and insurance coverage,” states the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Lindsey Crits, a licensed massage therapist at Center Massage in Royersford, became certified in the cupping method about four months ago. Crits said she noticed the benefits right away, including flushing out toxins and promoting blood circulation.

“In the simplest form, it’s pulling the stagnant blood toxins and lymph (capillaries) through the dense muscles to remove that fluid from the muscle and to loosen it up again,” she said. “It’s breaking the blood vessels so that the muscles can recover faster.”

Crits is trained in the dry cupping method as opposed to the wet cupping method which involves pricking the skin. She doesn’t think it’s necessary to prick the skin with the modern technology that is available. When working on her clients, Crits combines the cupping method with other massage techniques such as myofascial release.

She uses two types of suction cups depending on the client and what their needs are. Crits has a set of plastic cups that are used with a pump to create suction on the skin and release tension. After the skin is suctioned with the pump, the cup is left on the area for several minutes which is known as static cupping. There’s a slight pinch and pull when the pump is first used but after a few moments, the cups becomes hardly noticeable.

“I choose where to place them (the cups) by following the alignment of muscle, the attachment site and then where they run along,” Crits said.

If an area of the body is small or if the skin is very tight then Crits will use cups made from silicone. The silicone cups are used for something called the dragging method which involves gently gliding the cup across the skin so the muscle loosens. Crits said people sometimes ask for this cupping method to avoid the circular marks that sometimes result from the static method. She explains that even though the marks left from the static cupping method may look painful, it doesn’t hurt.

“It doesn’t hurt during and it shouldn’t hurt after the session,” Crits said. If it does hurt, then you need to use less suction and maybe glide a little slower.”

Crits said the cupping method helps with muscle pain, arthritis, inflamed areas, restrictive range of motion, sports injuries and more.

Several celebrities and athletes such as Olympian Michael Phelps are known for using cupping.

Patti Coates, 48, of Gilbertsville, is a local athlete and client of Crits. She’s been using the cupping method for four months.

Coates is a powerlifter and recently returned from a national competition. She said it’s a must to stay tight before a competition so it’s important to relieve those muscles when she can. Coates explained that the difference is almost instant because before the cups, her muscles are stiff but directly after they’re very lax.

“When the cups come off and she (Crits) starts rubbing the skin, it’s like the best feeling,” Coates said.

Coates has used the cups on her back, chest, glutes and even feet. Crits said the cupping method can be used all over the body even the face. She said cupping helps with migraines because it targets those tension areas.

Crits said the cupping method has the ability to help a lot of people but there are certain individuals that should avoid the practice. She doesn’t recommend cupping for those with rare blood disorders or people that bruise easily. She also said cancer patients would be at an increased risk because their immune system is not as strong after radiation and treatments. She added that people who recently had surgery don’t want to get cupping in that area until it’s completely healed.

Crits said cupping can have some serious negative effects if done by a nonprofessional. She urges anyone who plans to cup themselves to do their research and consult a trained individual first.

“If you do leave the cups on too long, you can cause damage to the tissue, you can cause blistering and other issues that shouldn’t happen when used correctly,” she said.

In addition to cupping, Crits’ other services include Swedish massages, deep tissue massages, prenatal massages, hot stone therapy and more. She serves clients at locations in Royersford and Malvern with locations in Pottstown and Philadelphia coming soon.

For more information about her services, visit centermassage. co or email lindsey@ centermassage.co.

PHOTOS BY MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Licensed massage therapist Lindsey Crits uses a tension relief method called “cupping” on her client Patti Coates at the Center Massage studio in Royersford. Plastic cups and a pump suction the skin in order to loosen stiff muscles.

Patti Coates relaxes during a massage that incorporates a technique called “cupping” at Center Massage studio in Royersford. With “static cupping,” a pump is used with a plastic cup to suction the skin then the cup is left on the area for 3 to 5 minutes.

Plastic suction cups line the back of Patti Coates during her massage session at the Center Massage studio in Royersford. Small plastic cups are used with a pump to release tension areas on the skin.

Plastic cups used to suction the skin leave circular marks on Patti Coates of Gilbertsville during her massage at Center Massage studio in Royersford. Coates said the marks don’t hurt and that they actually feel pleasant on her body because they help loosen stiff muscles.

Patti Coates of Gilbertsville experiences cupping therapy during her massage at the Center Massage studio in Royersford.

Licensed massage therapist Lindsey Crits performs something called “dragging cupping” on a client at the Center Massage studio in Royersford. The dragging method includes gliding a silicone cup across the skin gently to loosen muscle areas.