Cupping therapy

What effects after exercise ?

Cupping therapy, or cuppingtherapy, is developed further in the section on injury prevention tools (Cupping) but it also has an important aspect in post-match or post intensive training recovery.

Potential mechanisms of muscle fatigue include the accumulation of metabolites in the muscle and the generation of insufficient motor commands by the motor cortex during exercise (1). However, it is possible to influence this release of metabolic waste products caused by exercise via the application of suction cups. This tool can be used to increase the blood flow in depth and help dissipate muscle pain and stiffness. They are also thought to boost local microcirculation, improving the transport of metabolic by-products such as lactate and thus facilitating metabolic recovery after exercise. This therapy shows promise in reducing muscle fatigue without causing undesirable effects on the muscle, unlike stretching performed directly after exercise (2).

How to use them in recovery ?

It is important, during these recovery sessions, to place the first suction cups on the proximal muscular parts. Then, other suction cups will be placed towards the distal insertions, spacing them a few centimetres apart.

The first suction cups are placed at the top of the calf and the last ones are at the junction between the sural triceps and the Achilles tendon

References :

1. Enoka RM, Duchateau J. Muscle fatigue: what, why and how it influences muscle function. J Physiol. 1 janv 2008;586(1):11‑23.

2. Hou X, Wang X, Griffin L, Liao F, Peters J, Jan YK. Immediate and Delayed Effects of Cupping Therapy on Reducing Neuromuscular Fatigue. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021;9:678153.