1428258340535105
The Cupping Revolution logo The Cupping Revolution logo

Cupping for Manual Therapists

Current Lesson
Course Content
Course Content

Indications for Cupping

It is ALWAYS important to first consider your scope of practice, and ask yourself the following questions:

Do I know WHY this person is suffering from these symptoms?

Do I understand the underlying health conditions that may/may not be involved?

Can the increase in local vascularity and circulation potentially cause harm?

It is YOUR responsibility as a practitioner to practice due diligence, and stay within your scope of practice. If you don’t already know about it, you should not use cupping on it. Plain and simple. There are many different levels of training and understanding of the human body, and you must stay within yours.

Cupping has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of the following conditions:

arthritic pain:

joint pain is often associated with cold conditions. The painful area should be palpated, to assess the temperature locally.

abdominal pain:

Make sure there is no serious condition creating the stomach pain. Issues like a flare-up of IBS, Chrohn͛s Disease, Appendicitis, or Gall Stones would be contraindicated. Clients should be warned that with the increase of Qi circulation in the digestive system, the possibility of more frequent and intense bowel movement is likely.

stomach ache and indigestion:

See above. Cupping can be very helpful in increasing peristalsis, thereby improving digestive function. Caution should be taken if there is a concern with Gallbladder or Kidney stones.

The body can expel stones smaller than a diameter of .5 mm. Anything larger than that, and cupping the area should be strictly avoided.

headache: Headaches can come from many different sources, always perform due diligence. Tension headaches can be relieved by working on the associated tight muscles. When working around the head or neck area, ALWAYS apply cups at a distal region to assist in drawing the blood away from the head.

hypertension: There is a lot of variation in the degree and amount of treatment that individuals with hypertension suffer. It͛s important to know - and possibly take the Blood Pressure of the client. Many clients will state that they do not have hypertension because it is medicated. They still have hypertension, it is simply controlled. Cautions for hypertension include high blood pressure – controlled or uncontrolled, and low activity levels. Contraindications for hypertension include existing heart condition, chest pain, edema and swelling, severe redness in the face. Severely overweight patients are also a caution for treatment.

common cold, bronchitis

coughs from excessive mucus : Lung and cold conditions are fantastic to treat with cupping. It is contraindicated to treat a client with fever.

asthma: expansion of the diaphragm to promote deep breathing is very helpful for clients with asthma. They will often have a lot of tightness in the chest and mid back. Contraindicated if in an acute phase

low back pain: Cupping is helpful for low back pain, however one must be careful to NOT treat over a disc herniation as it is contraindicated, and could cause more severe problems. Also, when clients suffer from chronic low back pain, there is often pain and weakness, and light to medium suction should be applied. Proceed with caution over the kidney area.

painful menstruation: Cupping can be used in a gentle fashion on the lower abdomen and low back to relieve pre-menstrual pain and symptoms. Often women have blockages, scar tissue or stagnant blood trapped in the uterus, and cupping can help to release these unwanted tissues. Heavy bleeding could occur after this treatment, but should not last longer than 24 hours. If the bleeding persists, medical attention should be sought out. Cupping can also be performed on the lower back and sacral area to calm the nerves that connect with the uterus. Contraindicated in pregnancy on the lower back and abdomen. Cupping should not be performed on the lower abdomen of women during their menstrual cycle

fertility: Cupping can help circulation and blood flow in the reproductive organs, which can be effective infertility treatment. It can also be used to help warm the lower abdomen which provides an ideal environment for fertilization.

scar treatment: Using light movement cupping over scars that have sealed and mostly healed can be very effective for realigning the collagen fibers in the scar and reducing the hardness. This can increase mobility and circulation locally.

Contraindication is a new scar that has not fully sealed. Recommended wait time of 3 months or longer... cupping will be useful later, it's not necessary to treat immediately

insect, poisonous bite: This treatment is not common in clinical settings; however, bites can be treated with suction to help draw out the poison.

edema and swelling: light cupping techniques can be used to effectively reduce or remove inflammation and edema. Caution: if treating the lymphatic system, and understanding of the system is advised.

Contraindication: pitted edema. Also revealing the potential cause of swelling is strongly recommended. Conditions such as diabetic neuropathy are contraindicated.

aches and pains: Cupping helps to reduce aches and pains by increasing local circulation and blood flow. It is helpful in many pain conditions; however, a thorough health history is always recommended.

limited and painful movement: Cupping can be very helpful for limited and painful movement; however, it is important to find out of there is a physical barrier or injury causing the limitation. A proper range of motion testing should rule out physical injury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Get access now