Influence of quantified dry cupping on soft tissue compliance in athletes with myofascial pain syndrome.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a quantitative dry cupping system that can monitor negative pressure attenuation and soft tissue pull-up during cupping to quantify soft tissue compliance. METHODS: Baseball players with myofascial pain syndrome were recruited to validate the benefits of cupping therapy. Nine of 40 baseball players on the same team were diagnosed with trapezius myofascial pain syndrome; another nine players from the same team were recruited as controls. All participants received cupping with a negative pressure of 400 mmHg for 15 minutes each time, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Subjective perception was investigated using upper extremity function questionnaires, and soft tissue compliance was quantified objectively by the system. RESULTS: During the 15-minute cupping procedure, pressure attenuation in the normal group was significantly greater than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.017). The soft tissue compliance in the normal group was significantly higher than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.050). Moreover, a 4-week cupping intervention resulted in an obvious increase in soft tissue lift in the myofascial pain group (p = 0.027), although there was no statistical difference in the improvement of soft tissue compliance. Shoulder (p = 0.023) and upper extremity function (p = 0.008) were significantly improved in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This quantitative cupping monitoring system could immediately assess tissue compliance and facilitate the improvement of soft tissues after cupping therapy. Hence, it can be used in athletes to improve their functional recovery and maintain soft tissues health during the off-season period.

Wet Cupping-Traditional Hijamah Technique versus Asian Cupping Technique in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

To evaluate the feasibility of comparing the effect of the traditional Hijamah and the Asian wet cupping techniques in the management of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional and Asian wet cupping techniques for CLBP was conducted in two secondary care hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Seventy eligible participants with CLBP were randomized to receive one session of wet cupping using either Asian technique (34 patients) or traditional Hijamah technique (36 patients). Cupping was performed at four sites of the bilateral bladder meridian (BL23, BL24, and BL25). The numeric rating scale, Present Pain Intensity, and Oswestry Disability Questionnaire scores were measured immediately after intervention, at seven days, and 14 days after intervention. In both groups, there was a significant decrease in the numeric rating scale, Present Pain Intensity, and Oswestry Disability Questionnaire scores, immediately after intervention, at seven days, and 14 days after intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups across all the outcome measures up to 14 days after intervention. The study did not show a superiority of one technique compared with the other. Longer follow-up periods and more than one cupping session may be needed to evaluate the difference, if any, between both the techniques. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02012205.