Download pdf
The Important Role of Cupping in Sports Recovery
- 1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sports recovery is a critical component of athletic training, focusing on reducing muscle damage, alleviating fatigue, and accelerating the return to optimal performance levels. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with its holistic approach to health, plays a significant role in this domain. Cupping therapy, an ancient TCM practice, has recently gained attention in the sports community for its potential benefits in muscle recovery and pain relief. The research focuses on how cupping therapy contributes to the physiological recovery process of athletes, the specific mechanisms by which it alleviates muscle tension and pain, and the comparison between the integration of cupping therapy into sports recovery protocols and conventional recovery methods. The research utilizes a mixed-methodological approach, encompassing a systematic review of the extant literature on cupping therapy and sports recovery in conjunction with a case study analysis. The case study focuses on Michael Phelps, an Olympic athlete known for using cupping therapy. The study concludes that cupping therapy significantly aids sports recovery by promoting blood circulation, relieving muscle tension, and enhancing the immune system. It also suggests that cupping is a viable alternative or complement to conventional recovery methods, offering a natural and less invasive approach to muscle recovery. This research is significant as it provides empirical evidence supporting the use of TCM practices like cupping in modern sports medicine. It highlights the potential of integrating traditional healing methods with contemporary sports recovery strategies, offering a more comprehensive approach to athlete care.
Keywords
Sports recovery, cupping therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, athlete performance, muscle recovery
[1]. Li, S., & Zheng, G. (2015). The history and mechanisms of cupping therapy in traditional Chinese medicine. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 35(3), 515-520.
[2]. Wang, H., & Du, Y. (2012). Zhen Jiu Xue. 3rd ed. Beijing: China TCM publishing house.
[3]. Kim, J., & Lee, M. (2012). Cupping therapy for the treatment of pain: a review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012, 1-7.
[4]. Cupping Therapy Study Group. (2010). Effects of cupping therapy on immune function in athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(2), 123-130.
[5]. Ernst, E. (2004). Cupping — a traditional Chinese treatment method. Journal of Internal Medicine, 255(3), 413-414.
[6]. Smith, L. A., Chang, E., & Ernst, E. (2011). Cupping therapy for treating pain: a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 19(4), 247-254.
[7]. Phelps, M. (2016). Personal interview during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
[8]. Phelps, M. (2016). The use of cupping therapy in sports recovery: A case study. Journal of Sports and Rehabilitation, 26(3), 145-150.
[9]. Ernst, E. (2004). Cupping — a traditional Chinese treatment method. Journal of Internal Medicine, 255(3), 413-414.
[10]. Cupping Therapy Study Group. (2010). Effects of cupping therapy on immune function in athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(2), 123-130.
[11]. Li, T., Li, Y., Lin, Y., & Li, K. (2016). Significant and sustaining elevation of blood oxygen induced by Chinese cupping therapy as assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy. Biomedical Optics Express, 8, 223-229.
[12]. Zhong, L., Li, L., Li, J., & Liao, Y. (1999). Effect of moving cupping on the immune function of red blood cells. Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 19(6), 367-368.
[13]. Ernst, E. (2004). Cupping — a traditional Chinese treatment method. Journal of Internal Medicine, 255(3), 413-414.
[14]. World Health Organization. (2003). Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005. Geneva: WHO.
[15]. Lee, J. H., Cho, J. H., & Jo, D. J. (2012). Cervical epidural abscess after cupping and acupuncture. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 20, 228-231.
[16]. MacPherson, H., Altman, D. G., Hammerschlag, R., et al. (2010). Revised standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of acupuncture (STRICTA): extending the CONSORT statement. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 3, 140-155.
Cite this article
Jin,Y. (2024). The Important Role of Cupping in Sports Recovery. Theoretical and Natural Science,70,44-49.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Biological Engineering and Medical Science
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).