Cupping is much like the inverse of massage and Gua Sha. Those two techniques apply pressure downward to muscles to rid of knots and adhesions. Cupping does the opposite by using gentle pressure to pull the muscles upward. This gentle pulling up of the muscles helps to promote relaxation of the muscles. Cupping is a wonderful technique for individuals that have extremely tight muscles without sharp pain or have really achy muscles due to muscle fatigue, colds and flus.

Cupping is performed by the physician taking plastic or glass cups and creating suction on the skin. Once the suction has occurred, the cups can be gently moved across the skin or they can be left alone.

Cupping can be dated all the way back to 300 A.D. Many originate cupping with oriental countries such as China and Japan however it is well documented to have been used throughout Europe as well.