Myofascial cupping is an increasingly popular and highly requested therapy in many
massage clinics. It has actually been around and practiced for thousands of years and is recorded to have been used in Asian medical systems dating back to around 281 AD!
The cupping that we use in remedial massage and our western culture has quite a different purpose to the way it was traditionally used though.
The therapeutic practice of myofascial cupping involves the attachment of small glass, plastic or silicone cups to the skin through suction. The cups may be moved around on different areas of the body, usually repeatedly over tight bands of fascia to loosen and lengthen the tissue, and they may be left stationary for differing lengths of time.
What do these cups do for my body?
In our treatment rooms, our therapists will incorporate myofascial cupping in to your remedial massage treatment when required.
We use myofascial cupping to
treat soft tissue conditions and musculoskeletal stress and tension, pain and many common strain type injuries.
sliding and stationary cupping techniques are used to treat fascia and tissue by bringing blood flow and healing to the area as well as improving movement in the myofascial system.
this treatment can induce deep relaxation by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (turning of the fight or flight stress response).
application of sliding and/or stationary cups greatly increases the circulation or blood flow to the areas the cups pass over, gently drawing heat and increasing blood flow to the surface of the skin, hence promoting detoxification.
this increased circulation softens the fascia that is often tight and restricting the the free and easy movement of tissue beneath.
Why would I request a cupping session?
At Exceptional Health Therapies, our therapists are able to incorporate myofascail cupping in to your regular remedial massage if we feel it will benefit you, and if you are willing to give it a go.
Any kind of pain or tension can be received from this gentle, highly effective form of soft tissue release, and our clients are often amazed at the difference they feel through targeted areas in a very short amount of time, usually immediately after the cups are released.
As the cups work on a superficial to deep level, and as the fascia and lymphatic systems encompass the entire body, a cupping session has a systemic effect, even though the cups may have only been applied to targeted areas.
Our therapists find this practice effective for helping to treat a number of conditions, but by no means limited to
Relieving sore muscles and tight fascia
Pain relief
Fibromyalgia
Improving Circulation
Relieving migranes and headaches
Pre and post-operative conditions
Improving flexibility in joints and muscles
Stretching tight adhered tissue
So, what is fascia?
Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around the entire body, linking the muscles and joints together. It provides the framework and helps support and protect our body as a unit. I like to think of fascia as being the clothing that your muscles wear. If the clothes are too tight, everything underneath is restricted. And this fascia, with any sort of trauma, can become adhered and 'stick' together.
Myofascial cupping is very effective in gently stretching out the fascia and smoothing out adhesions, whilst gently detoxifying the whole body. Once the fascia is released, blood and oxygen can flow unrestricted to our muscles and organs beneath, detoxifying and allowing the massage that follows to gently release adhesions and trigger points.
The nature of fascia is to be quite plastic, so the gentle application of sliding myofascial cups softens the fascia painlessly, releasing the hold and tension on the whole body.
Who does Myofascial Cupping?
We do! At Exceptional Health Therapies we LOVE cupping and we LOVE incorporating this wonderfully effective technique into most of our remedial, relaxation and even our pregnancy massages, so that our clients can get the. maximum relief and benefit from a treatment.
We don't charge extra when we use cupping as we feel it wonderfully compliments and completes the effectiveness of our treatments. Most of our clients enjoy the gentle sensation of the applied cups, and although not essential for your desired outcome, 100% of our clients report relief of their targeted aliments after a cupping session.
What will I expect in my cupping treatment?
A myofascial cupping session will involve a combination of oiled massage strokes and negative pressure to lift, separate and stretch underlying soft tissue.
The negative pressure that is used to suction the cup on to your skin encourages nutrient rich blood to be gently moved, via osmosis to stagnant areas of the body, flushing out accumulated toxins and restoring the natural flow and function.
Once gently suctioned on to your skin, the therapist will slide the cup around on your oiled skin, perhaps repeatedly over tighter bands of fascia and often the cups will then remain stationary over tighter areas or trigger points for a length of time. You will generally forget the cups is there after a few seconds as they are so effective in releasing tight areas quickly.
The therapist may move on to other areas while the cups are in place, then continue with other aspects of your remedial massage treatment. You can still chat or you can snooze, but above all you will ENJOY your massage even more when you add some myofascial cupping to your regular treatment.
Did you ever see those perfectly round marks on Michael Phelps back during the Olympics-looks like he had been wrestling with an octopus?
He would have been at his best after his Myofascial cupping treatment!
Chat with your Exceptional Health Therapist today about incorporating some myofascial cupping in to your next massage treatment.
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