In recent years, cupping massage has been increasingly used to activate lymphatic drainage due to its potential benefits in promoting the flow of lymphatic fluid throughout the body and activating the cleansing of waste products from the body.
Cupping has been used for centuries as a therapeutic modality in traditional medicine systems around the world. Its use has evolved over time and is currently gaining popularity in various health and paramedical practices, including massage therapy.
In this article, we will explain the technical aspects of lymphatic cupping, including its history, techniques, indications and contraindications.
Cupping, a remedy for many ailments
Cupping, which dates back thousands of years, is one of the oldest known healing practices. Its origins date back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China and the Middle East.
The earliest records of cupping are found in the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical text from around 1550 BC. Cupping is also mentioned in the famous Chinese medical text “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine,” written over 2,000 years ago.
Throughout history, cupping has been used as a remedy for many ailments, from pain relief to respiratory problems. Over time, different cultures and regions have developed unique techniques and applications.
Today, cupping has become a popular and widely practiced form of complementary care around the world, accepted for its potential to relieve pain, promote healing and support overall well-being.
Massage therapists can use cupping to improve lymphatic circulation and improve the health of patients.
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How do cupping promote lymphatic fluid circulation?
Cupping therapy involves applying cups to the skin and using suction. Cups are usually made of glass, plastic or silicone. Suction can be created manually with a hand pump or, as in the case of silicone cups, by squeezing them, or automatically with an electric pump.
Some of these automatic pumps are quite sophisticated and use computer control cards to create exact amounts of suction and to vary the suction over time, these types of suction cups are more oriented towards health care. Others are simply a pump and are usually the most widespread for use in massage and personal care due to their easy use and learning, always guided by a professional to know their limits and risks.
When placed on the skin, the suction effect draws the skin and underlying soft tissue towards the cup, which increases blood perfusion in the local capillary bed, so that we all understand, it absorbs the skin and attracts the blood, which can generate a movement of fluids that favors the adaptation of the nervous system when establishing muscle tone or perceiving pain and promotes the movement of lymphatic fluid.
The amount of suction used, the length of time the cup is held in place and the amount of shear force created by moving the cup or the tissue beneath it are variables that a trained osteopath will manipulate to achieve the desired outcome in a cupping procedure.
Suction cups for lymphatic drainage
Not all cupping techniques are effective for treating the lymphatic system; however, several basic cupping techniques, such as instant cupping, rapid cupping, and massage (also known as dynamic) cupping, can be used for this purpose.
These techniques have a few things in common, namely: light suction, very low retention times and low shear force. These techniques are also rhythmic in their application.
- Flash cupping involves placing a suction cup on the area to be treated and removing it almost immediately, then repositioning and removing it repeatedly during the treatment time. This technique is performed with very light suction and the cup is quickly removed, creating a clicking sound.
- Rapid cupping is a technique where a few cups are placed on the body very close together, usually in a row, and then the first one applied is removed and the others are skipped along the row being treated. The suction strength is light to medium.
- Massage cupping involves sliding suction cups across the skin to mobilize lymphatic fluid. Typically, with lymphatic cupping, this is done with relatively light pressure, usually moving fairly slowly and in short strokes.
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Cupping for various lymphatic conditions
Cupping therapy may be beneficial for people with a variety of lymphatic conditions, including lipedema, lymphedema, swelling from injuries, postoperative swelling, and poor lymphatic circulation.
Cupping is useful in the treatment of chronic pain when there is an inflammatory component. There are some case studies where lymphatic cupping is used with athletes who wish to recover from intense training or competitions.
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Cupping may be useful in cases of chronic edema, where lymphatic suction appears to give better results than manual lymphatic drainage. The hypothesis is that this result is due to the tissue provocation caused by the suction of the cups, which is not present in typical manual lymphatic drainage techniques.
The cupping technique can be used in conjunction with other lymphatic drainage techniques to enhance treatment results. These other techniques include manual lymphatic drainage, kinesiological taping, combined decongestive treatments, exercises or dry brushing.
Cupping is often combined with manual lymphatic drainage techniques when the volume of edema is such that the skin has become fragile. Manual techniques are better suited to deal with this problem, so manual lymphatic drainage can be used on fragile skin and lymphatic cupping on healthier skin.
Movement is often added to these treatments, it is common as home care for patients with swelling as movement can be done passively during treatment and the client can be given active movement to do at home to extend the results of the treatment.
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Contraindications and safety considerations
Although cupping can be beneficial for many people, there are certain contraindications that should be taken into account. Cupping should not be applied to areas with open wounds or broken skin.
- Generally, cupping is not usually applied to swollen or inflamed areas; however, in lymph node cupping, the cups are only used with light to medium suction and are never left stationary for long periods of time, so with these modifications, it is safe to apply cupping to these areas.
- Cupping should be avoided on varicose veins and areas of thin, fragile or sensitive skin. People with bleeding disorders, skin conditions or a history of blood clotting problems should also avoid cupping therapy or consult a qualified medical professional before undergoing the treatment.
- Caution should be taken in cases of anemia and pregnancy. The client's medication should also be taken into account, as many medications can facilitate the appearance of bruises and this is something that should be avoided.
Research on cupping for lymphatic drainage
There are not many studies available on the use of cupping for lymphatic drainage, but some are promising:
Weber stated that negative pressure treatments could be useful in the treatment of postoperative inflammation. In this study, negative pressure treatment had better outcomes in terms of pain control than manual lymphatic drainage treatments, which were the control treatment.
This finding was also found in a 2013 study by Vuorinen et al., where they found that a negative pressure device performed better than regular manual lymphatic drainage treatment on limb volume changes and tissue stiffness measurements and quality of life (as tested in the experiment).
Other studies reinforce these results. And these results appear to be consistent regardless of the type of inflammation, from lymphedema to inflammation caused by traumatic injury and postoperative inflammation.
Most of these studies are performed with a negative pressure machine programmed to use light to medium suction at several different settings specific to treating the lymphatic system in various scenarios. This is not difficult to simulate using manual cupping, so it is comparable to a lymphatic cupping treatment.
In a study by Rodríguez-Huguet, the results of using this machine were compared with those of traditional suction cups and it was observed that the results of using the machine were comparable to those of the suction cup technique.
Cupping is one of the oldest healing practices, with origins dating back to ancient civilizations.
Cupping therapy promotes lymphatic health of clients
Cupping therapy is a traditional technique that offers numerous benefits for lymphatic drainage. Thanks to its long history of use and growing body of evidence, cupping therapy has gained recognition as a valuable modality to support lymphatic health and overall well-being.
In a clinical setting, lymphatic cupping is often incorporated into a comprehensive treatment plan based on the client's desired outcomes, current medical history, and indications and contraindications. The massage therapist begins by assessing the client's overall condition and lymphatic system. With this information, the practitioner can determine the appropriate cupping techniques based on the client's condition and medical history.
A combination of flash, rapid and massage cupping techniques may be used in massage to target specific areas of concern. Cupping is often combined with other manual lymphatic drainage techniques, such as light massage and gentle movement, to optimise the treatment results.
As with any treatment, it is essential to approach lymphatic cupping with a thorough understanding of the techniques, indications, and contraindications to ensure safe and effective results for clients. Courses that teach cupping often focus on pain relief and range of motion, only mentioning in passing how to apply cupping to the lymph nodes. Practitioners interested in this modality should look for courses that focus on the lymphatic system in order to provide a better experience with each session.
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