Cupping therapy after swimming

I know I'll insult someones sensibilities, but here goes. I'll be the devils advocate and say I think it's just another fad. The best muscle relaxer is a massage therapist with the magic hands, not an artificial hickie.

I've had cupping therapy performed on me several times. In my personal opinion I prefer a deep tissue massage to cupping. Physically speaking, I didn't notice any additional benefits in my body than when I received a traditional deep tissue massage. I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again, I just personally didn't feel it was more beneficial than a deep tissue massage in my case. Each person is different and each person's body responds differently. So hard to say how you would specifically respond to this type of therapy.

I had cupping for several months for bicep tendonitis along with acupuncture. No more pain! Last week I swam about 18 miles on a Swimtrek trip in the Virgin Islands and came home feeling good!

While there is anecdotal evidence of some benefit, there's no hard science supporting it. Some suspect it might be more of a placebo effect than anything else. My doctor warned me not to try it because I'm on Coumadin and it might cause some sub-dermal bruising/bleeding problems. Mark

Actually, cupping works differently from massage. The point is to pull the muscle away from the bone to encourage circulation. It leaves you looking like you've been in a boxing match, but it works for some things. Though it didn't do much for me because I needed shoulder repair, anyway, and cupping doesn't help if you have a torn tendon. Phelps is doing a lot of hard work, and maybe he has an issue that responds to cupping, but that doesn't mean it's good for everybody. I don't think it's a fad. It's actually been around a very long time. It's another form of Chinese healing. I believe there is evidence that shows it works for some cases better than massage. But it's a medical treatment and should be used with discretion. I can't see that it would be something you'd want to do after a workout and no, just because Phelps uses it, doesn't mean it's good. He's probably under a doctor's care and it's prescribed for a reason. FYI massage has not worked very much for me. I find using the McKenzie technique for neck alignment alleviated my pain much better. I'm assuming you're not in pain. My theory is don't mess with anything you don't need.

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I know I'll insult someones sensibilities, but here goes. I'll be the devils advocate and say I think it's just another fad. The best muscle relaxer is a massage therapist with the magic hands, not an artificial hickie. I agree. I think the whole cupping thing is rediculous. In a few years or so, it’ll be forgotten.