Just finished 2 90 min massages. One with cupping and one without, I have bad spine issues and a pinched nerve, when she put the cup by the pinched nerve I immediately felt relief and can confidently say that the session with cupping took away a lot more pain than the one without
The important thing is to understand what is pathologically 'wrong' and also how the intervention works in a physiological and mechanical sense. Do they match up? If not, then it won't. Yes you may get some placebo effect, but a more efficacious treatment by ways of understanding anatomy, pain reduction, performance enhancement, and physiological effects is a much more beneficial way to work.
Dry Needling: There's plenty of evidence to support dry needling now but when I say support it is specifically for short term pain relief, pain pressure threshold and (mainly around the Csp) range of motion. Not any miracle healing benefits or 'breaking up trigger points.' There is similar placebo trials as referenced in this video that do show an effect vs placebo so there is in fact a mechanical process going on there IASTM: Is really just STM, with assistance. It's not special, but if you find massage helpful in treatment - then you may consider trying using a tool to just save your hands K-Tape: Disproven to do anything magical years and years ago. But, if some people just need a little bit of support or proprioceptive cueing can be a useful tool
I'm an acupuncturist in America, and I agree with your findings. In acupuncture school, we used cupping to treat stagnant blood on the surface, which blocks circulation and causes pain. That is the only type of pain we used cupping for. I don't use cupping, and have not done it for years. A lot of people "over-cup" and pull too much blood to the surface, which cannot be resolved. They can actually make the pain worse by over-cupping. Don't leave the cups on too long. I prefer moving cupping. I am glad that a Chinese medicine modality is getting attention. But cupping is not the best option for most people. Acupuncture is. Acupuncture treats tight muscles to restore healthy blood flow and relax the muscles. All of the muscle spasms need to be treated. After a needle is inserted, the muscle starts to relax. You leave the needles in for 30 minutes and the area you treated is relaxed, and the muscles are no longer tight. It treats pain at the root and resolves it completely. Great job on your video.
It does seem irrational to believe that manipulation of superficial skin would have any effect on shortened sarcomeres deep in muscles, other than systemic relaxation from soothing touch. Even with that I doubt any real flexibility changes equal to or greater than purposeful stretching will occur with soothing touch, and clearly not with cupping. Pseudoscience is abundant and more profitable than evidence based medicine or therapy.. it's about the money
If only you understood fascia and it's impact on muscle function. Doing studies for lower back pain means nothing without understanding the cause. Is it QL, is it Glutes, is it nerve, is it fascia, is it facet joint.
Cupping has been around for thousands of years. But it is not used to treat muscle problems, it is used to treat stagnant blood that is superficial. You need to know the diagnosis of the person and treat appropriately. It is certainly better than being chopped up by a surgeon.
A MRI imaging research does show that cupping does pull not only the skin but also the muscle and fascia underneath. So I do find it beneficial in reducing muscle tone and have some pain relief effect so that the patient can better tolerate the exercise and loading after.
