Benefits of Cupping at PHYT: Pain Relief & Recovery Explained

Dr. Kalyn at PHYT Hudson

The Benefits of Cupping Therapy

By now, you’ve probably seen the circular marks many swimmers, gymnasts, and professional athletes show after treatment. Cupping therapy has become increasingly popular for recovery and pain relief, and those marks often spark the same question:

Why would someone do something that leaves marks like that?

Despite the appearance, cupping therapy is usually very comfortable. When performed properly, the marks left behind are superficial and typically painless. They may appear purple or red, but they are not the same as a typical bruise. In fact, many people describe the sensation during treatment as relieving and relaxing.

It’s also worth noting that cupping does not have to leave marks at all. Skilled practitioners can adjust pressure and movement so the treatment provides benefits without visible discoloration. If you have something coming up where you don’t want any cupping marks, just tell your PHYT clinician!

Cupping has experienced a resurgence in recent years, largely due to growing interest in recovery and performance therapy. Below are several mechanisms that help explain why many people experience relief with cupping treatment.

These explanations draw on peer-reviewed research, clinical reasoning, and years of hands-on experience with cupping in practice.

Benefits of Cupping

1. The Opposite of Massage

Most manual therapy techniques—massage, foam rolling, or instrument-assisted soft tissue work—are compressive. They apply pressure into the tissue.

Cupping works in the opposite direction.

Instead of pushing tissue inward, cupping creates negative pressure that gently lifts tissue away from the body.

This decompressive effect can be helpful because the body often responds differently to opposite forces. If compressive techniques like foam rolling feel aggressive or painful, the lifting force of cupping may feel significantly more comfortable while still providing many of the same therapeutic benefits.

2. Increased Blood Flow

Some muscular or myofascial pain may be related to reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery to a tissue.

When muscles remain tight or overactive, they require oxygen to produce energy efficiently. If oxygen supply becomes limited, the body shifts to anaerobic energy production. While useful in the short term, this process produces hydrogen ions as a byproduct, increasing acidity in the local tissue environment.

The body interprets this change as a potential threat and releases chemicals that increase pain sensitivity.

Cupping therapy visibly increases blood flow to the skin and surrounding tissues. This influx of circulation may help deliver oxygen, remove metabolic byproducts, and contribute to the lighter, looser feeling many people experience after treatment.

3. Improved Lymphatic Flow

Healing requires not only delivering nutrients to tissues but also removing waste products generated during inflammation and repair.

When the body repairs damaged tissue, immune cells break down and clear debris. These byproducts must then be removed through veins and the lymphatic system.

You can think of these vessels like a drainage system. If fluid movement becomes restricted, waste can accumulate and contribute to ongoing irritation or discomfort.

The lymphatic vessels and superficial veins live very close to the skin’s surface. One theory is that increased tension in the skin and surrounding tissues—often associated with pain or sympathetic nervous system activation—may restrict fluid movement.

Cupping creates a gentle pulling force on these superficial tissues that may help reduce tension, improve fluid movement, and assist the body in clearing metabolic waste.

While this mechanism is still being explored scientifically, many clinicians observe improved tissue mobility and reduced discomfort following treatment.

4. Capillary Response and Immune Activation

The circular marks that sometimes appear after cupping are caused by small capillary ruptures in the superficial tissue.

These tiny vessels tend to rupture more easily in areas where tissue is tight or restricted. When this happens, the body initiates a repair response that includes increased circulation and immune activity in the area.

Over time, repeated treatment and repair cycles may help improve tissue resilience and circulation.

Some research also suggests that cupping may stimulate nitric oxide release, thereby improving blood flow and contributing to short-term pain relief.

Interested in Trying Cupping?

Cupping therapy is available at PHYT for Function locations in Cleveland, Fairview Park, Beachwood, Twinsburg, Hudson and Boardman, OH. Our providers frequently incorporate cupping alongside other performance therapies such as dry needling, manual therapy, and movement-based treatment to help active adults stay moving and training.

You can schedule a session here: phyt.janeapp.com

Reference

Al-Bedah AMN, Elsubai IS, Qureshi NA, et al.The medical perspective of cupping therapy: Effects and mechanisms of action.Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2018;9(2):90-97.doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2018.03.003