Cupping Therapy

Cupping places cups on the skin and uses suction to draw the tissue up beneath them. That is the part worth understanding: almost every other hands-on treatment presses down, and cupping pulls. Practitioners use it on tight, guarded muscle — most often across the shoulders, the neck and the low back.

Cups are either left in one place for a few minutes or moved slowly across an area with oil. Some practitioners use glass cups warmed to create the suction; more commonly now the cups are plastic or silicone with a hand pump. Nothing is inserted, and nothing is prescribed.

Cupping is performed at every Mountain View Pain Center clinic in Colorado and Arizona, alongside Acupuncture.

We would rather be straight with you about this one. The evidence for cupping is thinner than the evidence for Acupuncture. Most of the published work looks at neck pain and low back pain, the trials are generally small, and blinding is genuinely hard — there is no convincing way to give somebody a fake cup and have them not notice.

What reviews tend to conclude is that cupping may reduce pain in the short term and that better trials are needed. No major clinical guideline lists it the way the American College of Physicians lists Acupuncture among first-line non-drug treatments for low back pain.

So this is not the center of a treatment plan. It is a drug-free option with a low risk profile that some patients respond to well, used to make the rest of the plan work better. If it is not helping you, we say so rather than keep going.

Tight, guarded muscle. The usual reason to reach for it — a shoulder, neck or low back that has been braced against pain long enough that the guarding has become part of the problem.

Patients who want fewer tablets. A drug-free lever, for people who would rather take less medication or whose physician wants that for them.

Making the real work tolerable. Most of what protects a painful back or shoulder over time is strengthening. Cupping is often used to reduce pain enough that Physical Therapy can actually progress.

Where it is the wrong answer. Pain that is new, severe, spreading, or coming with numbness or weakness needs a diagnosis before anything else. That is what the examination is for, and Pain Management is in the same building. Cupping does not replace a workup, and it is not a cure for anything.

Most people describe the suction as a strong pull rather than a pinch, and find the first minute stranger than the rest of it. Cups are usually in place for a few minutes at a time. Many patients feel loose and a little drowsy afterwards, in the same way they do after Acupuncture.

It leaves round marks. Circles where the cups sat, darker in areas that were tighter. They look like bruises, they are usually not sore, and they fade over several days. It is worth knowing before a session rather than being surprised by it in the mirror afterwards.

Your first visit starts with a review of your history and what you are trying to get back to, then treatment. Cupping is commonly used within an Acupuncture visit rather than booked on its own.

Cupping is performed by licensed practitioners. The most common effect is the marking described above. Soreness like the day after unfamiliar exercise is possible, and settles.

Tell your practitioner if you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant, or have skin in the area that is broken, burned, infected or fragile — these change where cups can be placed, or whether cupping is used at all. It is not right for everybody, and your practitioner will tell you if it is not right for you.

Coverage for cupping is not the same as coverage for Acupuncture. Many major plans now cover Acupuncture for pain diagnoses, and Medicare covers it for chronic low back pain — cupping is not automatically covered on those same terms.

Rather than leave you to discover that afterwards, we verify your benefits before your first visit and tell you what applies to your plan. Call 720-749-5599 (CO) or 602-325-2024 (AZ), or request an appointment online and we will text you back.

Cupping is performed at every Mountain View Pain Center clinic, across Colorado and Arizona — alongside Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Pain Management, all four on one chart in the same building.

No referral is needed, and appointments are usually available within the same week.

What is cupping therapy? Cups are placed on the skin and suction draws the tissue up beneath them, which is the opposite of pressing down. It is used on tight, guarded muscle, most often across the shoulders, neck and low back.

Does cupping hurt? Most people describe a strong pull rather than a pinch. The first minute tends to feel strangest; after that most patients find it comfortable, and many feel loose and slightly drowsy afterwards.

What are the round marks, and how long do they last? They are circles where the cups sat, usually darker where the tissue was tighter. They look like bruises, they are generally not sore, and they fade over several days.

Is there real evidence for cupping? Less than there is for Acupuncture. Most studies concern neck and low back pain, are small, and are hard to blind. Reviews tend to conclude it may help pain in the short term and that better trials are needed. No major guideline lists it the way the American College of Physicians lists Acupuncture for low back pain.

Who should not have cupping? Tell your practitioner if you take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant, or have skin in the area that is broken, burned, infected or fragile. Those change where cups can be placed, or whether cupping is used at all.

Is cupping covered by insurance? Not on the same terms as Acupuncture, which many plans cover for pain diagnoses and Medicare covers for chronic low back pain. We verify your benefits before your first visit and tell you what applies to your plan.

Do I need a referral, and how soon can I be seen? No referral is needed, for cupping or for any of our services. Appointments are usually available within the same week.

Can I have cupping alongside Acupuncture, Chiropractic or Physical Therapy? Yes, and that is how it is normally used. All four services are in the same building and work from the same chart, so what one practitioner finds is visible to the others.