Abstract

Cupping therapy, an ancient healing practice with roots in diverse cultures worldwide, has gained popularity in recent years for its therapeutic benefits in treating numerous musculoskeletal conditions. In western medicine cupping therapy is used with the goal of achieving therapeutic effects including decreased musculoskeletal pain and increased regional and localized blood flow. To date, there does not appear to be any general guidelines for the prescription and application of cupping therapy. Nevertheless, cupping therapy has continued to grow in popularity in the sports medicine setting. One factor in the lack of consensus on best practices for the use of cupping therapy is a lack of high-quality studies with large sample sizes. Therefore, the purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the effects of cupping therapy on skin surface temperature in collegiate baseball players. Review of medical records found that 26 male baseball players (age 21±1 year) had undergone 134 treatments that yielded includable data. Players received cupping therapy if they reported to the athletic training staff complaining of subacute or chronic musculoskeletal pain. Once the treatment site was identified, the skin was prepared using a light layer of coconut oil. Plastic cups were then applied to the treatment site, and two pumps of air were removed from each cup with a handheld pump. Cups remained in place for 20 minutes before being removed. Skin surface temperatures were taken with an infrared camera before and after treatment, and at five-minute intervals during treatment. A paired samples t-test was performed to assess skin surface temperature differences before and after cupping therapy. A one-way ANOVA test was performed to assess changes in temperature of the central most cup over time. On average, players receiving cupping therapy experienced significant increases in skin surface temperature (Pre-Cupping=31.47±1.03 °C, Post-Cupping=33.57± 0.73 °C, t(266)=-19.233, p<.001). Additionally, significant temperature increases were noted at the center most cup during treatment. To the authors’ knowledge, the number of treatments assessed in this study was more than any study evaluating the effect of cupping therapy on skin surface temperature in the current literature. Cupping therapy produced an increase in skin surface temperature, which likely indicates an increase in localized blood flow. Future research should examine the relationship between skin surface temperature and therapeutic effects of cupping therapy.