Texas Tech University Athletic Department shows KLBK and EverythingLubbock.com fire cupping as a form of physical therapy.
The Department’s Associate Football Trainer Raymond Champaigne said, “This is a form of miofacia release. Mio, muscle. Facia, is the tissue that covers the muscle. So we’re releasing the tissue on top of the muscle.”
Champaigne said, “It’s creating a vacuum into the cup. We’re picking up the skin, we’re picking up the layers of tissue, and we’re separating those layers. But we’re also creating like micro-trama so we’re essentially restarting the inflammation process.”
It’s essentially telling the body to heal that specific area effected, Champaigne added.
There are different forms of cupping, fire-cupping and wet-cupping. Champaigne said they use mainly fire-cupping on all of their athletes every day.
“Just like a double wall glass that we can create a vacuum either by inserting a flame into the cup and then removing it quickly in order to quickly suck the skin up into the cup,” Champaigne said.
No needles were involved his fire-cupping technique.
“In comparison to other things like stretching, it is very different because you get so much more added benefits then you would be just stretching out your hamstrings versus doing cups on your hamstrings.”
Cupping should only be performed every three to four days, Champaigne added. He said the red, circular marks will not permanently mark the skin, but it will last for about a week depending on the person and their blood flow.
Champaigne said any one can try cupping, not just athletes. However, he recommends speaking with your local physician or physical therapist about it first.