Cupping Therapy Manual Pdf

[Mariela Laflam]

ACEMassage Cupping therapy is an incredibly versatile, modern style of cupping therapy. The basic movements can easily be customized to accomplish a wide variety of techniques, from lymphatic drainage to deep tissue release. This complements many health modalities ranging from spa treatments and medical massage to chiropractic, physical, and occupational therapies. By creating suction and negative pressure, ACE Massage Cupping therapy is used to soften tight muscles, tone attachments, loosen adhesions, lift connective tissue, bring hydration and blood flow to body tissues, and drain excess fluids and toxins by opening lymphatic pathways. ACE Massage Cupping bodywork is versatile and can easily be modified to accomplish a range of techniques, from lymphatic drainage to deep tissue and fascial release. This complements many health modalities ranging from spa treatments to medical massage.

Please be sure to check with your state board to ensure that the use of cups is within your scope of practice. CEUs will not be valid in any state that has determined cups to be outside the scope of massage practices.

We recommend that students use our official ACE Massage Cupping Complete Kits. The kit includes a full assortment of cupping equipment and a free, exam-less version of this course. Students can purchase the $40 certification exam separately.

A cup may also be used for meridian and point work in traditional cupping therapies. Hybrids of these two approaches are coming into use as well. The beauty of adding cups into bodywork is the synergistic aspect of an integrated treatment.

Massage cupping combines well with other modalities, is easy to integrate into a massage session, and is valuable as an assessment tool. The vacuum creates a lift and separation in tissue that complements the compression of most manual therapies.

You can add cupping to other techniques you have learned and use in your practice. For example, with a pin-and-stretch technique you could try using the cup to pin, or place it on a trouble spot along the muscle and perform the movement as you usually do.

Circulation: The vacuum creates vasodilation, which draws blood flow into the tissue. The expansion of blood vessels also offers a vehicle for release of deep inflammation to the skin surface. (If the skin becomes hot during vacuum therapy, it is usually a good time to move on to another area of the body.)

Fascia: Separation of strands of fascia is profound when tissue is stretched in multiple directions by the cup. Observe the tissue in and around the cup to see that the stretch often extends into the surrounding tissue. Separation of the strands and structures creates space for fascia to move properly. (View Strolling Under the Skin, a video presentation on fascia by Jean-Claude Guimberteau, MD.)

This can be scar tissue; tangled and torqued fascia; and even a compression mark from such clothing as bras, tight bike shorts or socks; or marks from a chair where the person sat and worked for years. (Apply moist heat prior to treatment for better drainage of congestion, scar tissue release, and hydration of stiff, hard tissue.)

Once the restriction of flow is removed, congestion can be liquefied and directed to the nodes using a combination of manual and vacuum therapies. Vacuum therapies also work well in combination with lymphatic taping techniques and manual lymph drainage.

Muscle tissue: Using the vacuum cup on all types of muscle tissue produces effective results. The tissue visibly softens, feeling plump with hydration and blood flow when palpated. Attachments can be toned or released depending on the techniques used. The park-and-manipulate technique, for example, enables the practitioner to lift attachments as the joint is slowly moved through its range.

Cup size matters. A larger cup will provide the best evaluation of the tissue in and around the cup, and also disperse a stronger suction over a larger area for more comfort. Smaller cups allow for precise work in challenging areas such as the face, neck, hands and feet.

When working on a muscular athlete, using extra-large cups that can cover a large portion of the muscle or muscle group has benefits that cannot be produced with the hands. Pre-treating with vacuum therapy prior to deep tissue techniques significantly increases the effectiveness of manual methods, along with less strain on both therapist and client.

Abdominal work: Cupping therapiescombine well with colon therapies and are used to release the diaphragm and intercostals. These techniques are always an important part of working with scoliosis.

Head and neck: Vacuum therapy techniques merge with chiropractic and a variety of manual therapy techniques by releasing tissue prior to the adjustment or movement, allowing freer realignment of the skeletal system.

Small cups and pumping modes can be used to address a variety of issues in the face, head and neck. Sinus and ear congestion and headaches are some of the conditions that benefit from such applications.

Shoulders and back: Once the neck structures are released, the anterior and posterior muscle groups of the upper trunk must be addressed. Pectoral hypertonicity with trapezius hypotonicity is a common problem that pulls the shoulders forward.

One of the most effective parts of anterior release techniques is working along the sternum and pectoral attachments, moving into the muscle mass and then up to the shoulder attachments. The cups also make it very easy to work deep in the axilla to liberate the joint from restriction of movement.

The most familiar application of cupping therapies is on the back. The goal of long, gliding movements along the erector spinae and intervertebral structures is to create space for the discs and relieve pressure or compression. Another favorite area on which to use vacuum cups is the typically stiff thoracolumbar fascia of the lower back.

Arms and legs: If there is a complaint of carpal tunnel syndrome, the work begins with the head, neck, shoulders and back, and then continues into the arm and hand to identify and release chronic issues resulting from repetitive movement patterns or old injury. Small cups and strong suction used on the wrist and hand after the other areas have been addressed can then produce effective results.

Plantar fasciitis is very similar in that the treatment begins with the back and hips and works down to the feet to discover the true origin of the imbalance. Many people with lymphatic challenges in the legs experience loss of sensation or pain in their feet, and vacuum drainage of lymphatic congestion combined with taping works well to relieve pressure on the nerves and blood vessels.

The skin can also be tightened and toned using vacuum therapies, providing a great preparation or even alternative to surgical treatments. (Note, however, that the information in this article does not replace medical advice.)

The experiences we have had in classes and at trade shows are puzzling. During one demonstration, a student being treated had worked in baggage handling for over 10 years before becoming a therapist nine years prior to the class. During the cupping therapy, we had to have everyone leave the classroom after the smell of jet fuel became overwhelming. While there may not be an easy explanation, the experience left a vivid memory and many questions.

When working on the upper back over the lungs of smokers, a yellow-and-gray discoloration will often appear. People exposed to things such as secondhand cigarette smoke, campfires, fireplaces, and wood or pellet stoves often present a gray color in the skin on their back during cupping therapies.

It would seem that the vacuum will often pull that material from storage and the body will then eliminate it via the lymphatic and eliminatory systems, just as it would be eliminated at the time of injury.

There are a plethora of classes available today, but nothing replaces a live workshop. Because it can be difficult to travel to a class or you are not sure if this modality fits into your work, there are also online classes that will provide a vast amount of information.

Vacuum therapies, or massage cupping with vacuum action, do combine with current medical practices as an integral part of surgical preparation and recovery, along with injury rehabilitation, functional medicine and wellness.

Massage cupping is an effective tool and vacuum therapy is a modern technique. Both may benefit your clients in ways your hands alone cannot. As research into cupping matures, so too will the opportunities to practice it in a variety of venues.

Take this quiz to determine if contemporary vacuum therapies would be an added asset to your business! The quiz is appropriate for all health care providers, including nursing, PT, OT, chiropractic, and massage therapy.

According to the Ebers Papyrus medical textbook, Egyptians used cupping therapy as early as 1,550 BC! There are two forms: Wet and dry. At Integrated Rehab, our physical therapists utilize dry cupping to reduce chronic pain, inflammation and improve circulation.

In dynamic cupping, the cups are gently applied to the skin. As soft tissue begins to rise within the cup, the skin will develop a reddish hue. The cups are moved along the skin with light, medium or strong pressure, which can be adjusted as treatment progresses.

Deeper muscles, particularly in the back, can be targeted with static cupping. The cups are placed on the skin and left on the affected area for 2 to 10 minutes. With both methods of cupping therapy, patients may feel a tight sensation but the overall experience is often described as relaxing.

Those suffering from a musculoskeletal condition like tendonitis, osteoarthritis or a ligament strain can benefit from treatment. Cupping works together with traditional physical therapy to further improve mobility, strength, stability and movement patterns. Continue the at-home exercises prescribed by your physical therapist for even better results!

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