You’ve probably heard of cupping before, but not many people know the difference between traditional forms of cupping and myofascial cupping. Since it’s a popular treatment option for our clients experiencing deep muscle tension or in need of rapid healing, we wanted to share a little more about this therapy.
What Is Myofascial Cupping?
Fascia & Your Body
Before we dive deeper into myofascial cupping, it’s important to understand what fascia is and how healthy fascia supports overall well being. Fascia is made up of many bands of smooth, wavy connective tissues. These bands connect your muscles, organs, and skeletal system and allow you to move. Think of fascia as a flexible, moveable layer of armor between your insides and your skin.
When fascia is healthy, it’s supple and smooth, and the bands glide over and under one another easily. When it becomes damaged, it can get tense and sticky. This can happen due to injury, surgery, stress, tension, or inflammation.
One key thing to note about fascia is that the bands are interconnected and work like one large sheet. When fascia is damaged in one place, the surrounding fascia and other tissues such as muscles can be impacted.
Myofascial Cupping for Soft Tissues
Myofascial cupping works to relieve deep muscle tension in soft tissues. Although it is similar to traditional techniques like fire cupping, myofascial cupping includes moving the cups across the skin. This lets the therapist address a wider range of muscles and tissues and gently separate areas that are sticking together and causing discomfort.
Myofascial cupping uses silicone cups rather than glass. The cups are compressed and suctioned to the skin, creating negative pressure that brings more blood flow and fluids to the region. It also softens tissues and makes them more flexible and supple.
A few notes before treatment: cupping can leave circular marks that look like bruises, especially on the upper body. They are usually not painful and often fade within a few days. Cupping is not an instant fix and may briefly aggravate symptoms before the healing sets in. Your massage therapist may pair myofascial cupping with other methods such as therapeutic or deep tissue massage to enhance results.
Why Do People Get Myofascial Cupping Treatments?
- Muscle tension or spasms
- Chronic pain
- Surgical scarring (confirm with your surgeon or doctor first)
- Restless leg syndrome
- Digestive issues
- Back or hip pain
- Support after hip, knee, or other joint replacements
The Top Four Benefits of Myofascial Cupping
1. Relieves Soreness and Pain from Deep Muscle Tension
Recurring deep muscle tension can disrupt mobility, sleep, and daily activities, and it often worsens if left untreated. Because fascial tension can fuel muscular pain, myofascial cupping helps by repositioning the cups across the body to pull apart tense, sticky bands. This often creates a better starting point for targeted massage work.
2. Improves Range of Motion in Joints
Releasing fascial tension can restore muscle function and improve joint motion. Stiff or tense joints are often influenced by tight fascia that subtly pulls the joint out of ideal alignment. This is one reason people with knee or hip replacements, or surgeries affecting joints, seek this treatment. If you have had surgery, check with your surgeon or doctor before booking.
3. Increases Circulation
Myofascial cupping increases blood flow to targeted areas. Blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to healing tissues, which can speed recovery. Better circulation also helps remove metabolic waste more efficiently.
4. Improves Lymph Flow
Lymph movement is also stimulated during cupping. Lymph is a key transport fluid for the immune system, carrying bacteria and waste back to the bloodstream for elimination by the liver and kidneys. Unlike blood, lymph has no central pump. Cupping can encourage lymph flow and support detoxification.
Meet Our Myofascial Cupping Therapists
Several members of the Urban Massage & Wellness team are trained in myofascial cupping massage:
- Elizabeth
- Sonia
- Samantha
If you’ve been looking for myofascial release or massage therapy in St. Albert, use our online booking tool to schedule your next appointment. Looking for something different? We have a large team with a wide range of skills and a whole body approach to care. Explore our services page for more treatment options.
