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Li Y, Mo PC, Jain S, Elliott J, Bleakney A, Lyu S, Jan YK. Effect of durations and pressures of cupping therapy on muscle stiffness of triceps. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:996589. [PMID: 36466351 PMCID: PMC9712727 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.996589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cupping therapy has been used for the alleviation of muscle soreness in athletes. However, clinical studies of cupping therapy show conflicting results. Lack of standardized guidelines of the dose-response relationship of cupping therapy, such as appropriate cupping duration and negative pressure, limits the adoption of cupping therapy in clinical practice. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of various pressures and durations of cupping therapy on reducing muscle stiffness. The 2 × 2 factorial design with the repeated measures and counterbalanced design was used to test four cupping protocols, including two negative pressures at -225 and -300 mmHg and two durations at 5 and 10 min, in 12 healthy young people. B-mode and elastographic ultrasound was used to assess muscle stiffness of the triceps before and after cupping therapy. The region of interest of elastographic image was divided into the superficial and deep layers for assessing the effect of cupping therapy on stiffness of various depths of the triceps. Normalized stiffness was calculated as a ratio of pre-cupping stiffness divided by post-cupping stiffness of each participant. The two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the main effects of the pressure and duration factors and the interaction effect between the pressure and duration factors. The results showed that there were no interactions between the pressure and duration factors (overall layer p = 0.149, superficial layer p = 0.632, and deep layer p = 0.491). The main effects of duration of the overall, superficial and deep layers were p = 0.538, p = 0.097 and p = 0.018, respectively. The results showed that 10-min cupping at -300 mmHg is more effective on reducing stiffness of the deep layer of the triceps compared to 5-min cupping (p = 0.031). This study provides the first evidence that the dose of cupping therapy could significantly affect changes of triceps stiffness and the deep layer of the muscle is more sensitive to cupping therapy compared to the superficial and overall layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Li
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Pu-Chun Mo
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Sanjiv Jain
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jeannette Elliott
- Disability Resources and Educational Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Adam Bleakney
- Disability Resources and Educational Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Shaojun Lyu
- College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yih-Kuen Jan
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Disability Resources and Educational Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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Acute and Prolonged Effects of Dermal Suction on Joint Range of Motion and Passive Muscle Stiffness: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10112241. [PMID: 36360582 PMCID: PMC9690743 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10112241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the acute and prolonged effects of dermal suction on joint range of motion (ROM) and passive muscle stiffness. Eight-minute dermal suction was prescribed for the quadriceps femoris in 15 participants. Hip extension ROM, knee flexion ROM, and passive muscle stiffness of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) were measured before and immediately, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min, 24 h, and 48 h after dermal suction. Passive muscle stiffness was measured using shear wave elastography. Hip extension ROM significantly increased immediately (p = 0.032), 60 min (p = 0.029), and 120 min (p = 0.031) after dermal suction compared with before dermal suction; however, it was not significantly different at 30 min, 24 h, and 48 h after dermal suction (p > 0.05). Passive muscle stiffness of the RF and VL and knee flexion ROM did not significantly change at any measurement time compared with before dermal suction (p > 0.05). Our preliminary results suggest that dermal suction improves hip extension ROM immediately after dermal suction of the quadriceps femoris, followed by a return to the pre-prescription level 30 min after. However, the effect was prolonged for 120 min and disappeared before 24 h.
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Acute Effects of Dermal Suction on Passive Muscle and Joint Stiffness. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9111483. [PMID: 34828529 PMCID: PMC8624662 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9111483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the acute effects of dermal suction on the passive mechanical properties of specific muscles and joints. Dermal suction was applied to the calves of 24 subjects. Passive plantar flexion torque was measured with the right knee fully extended and the right ankle positioned at 20°, 10°, 0°, and −10° angles, where 0° represents the ankle neutral position, and positive values correspond to the plantar flexion angle. The shear wave velocity (SWV) (m/s) of the medial gastrocnemius was measured in the same position using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The relationship between the joint angle and passive torque at each 10° angle was defined as passive joint stiffness (Nm/°). Passive muscle and joint stiffness were measured immediately before and after the dermal suction protocol. When the ankle joint was positioned at 20° (r = 0.53, P = 0.006), 10° (r = 0.43, P = 0.030), and −10° (r = 0.60, P = 0.001), the SWV was significantly higher after dermal suction than that before dermal suction. Regarding joint stiffness, we found no significant difference between the pre- and post-dermal suction values (partial η2 = 0.093, P > 0.05). These findings suggest that dermal suction increases passive muscle stiffness and has a limited impact on passive joint stiffness.
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Using Elastographic Ultrasound to Assess the Effect of Cupping Size of Cupping Therapy on Stiffness of Triceps Muscle. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2021; 100:694-699. [PMID: 33065576 DOI: 10.1097/phm.0000000000001625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cupping therapy may reduce muscle stiffness for managing fatigue. However, there is no scientific evidence showing changes of muscle stiffness after cupping therapy. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the cup size of cupping therapy affects the change of muscle stiffness. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of cup size of cupping therapy on muscle stiffness. DESIGN A repeated measures design with a counterbalanced design was used to test three cup sizes (45, 40, and 35 mm in inner diameter) in 12 healthy participants. Strain elastography was used to measure stiffness of the triceps before and after cupping therapy at 300 mm Hg for 5 mins. Strain elastogram was converted to the grayscale for the quantification of stiffness. RESULTS The overall stiffness of triceps significantly reduced after cupping therapy with the 45-mm (106.2 ± 7.7, P < 0.05) and 40-mm (109.6 ± 7.1, P < 0.05) cups, but not the 35-mm cup (115.5 ± 10.3, nonsignificant) compared with before cupping (115.8 ± 13.5). The stiffness of superficial layer did not show significantly difference in all three sizes of cup. The stiffness of deep layer significantly reduced after the cupping therapy with the 45- and 40-mm cups. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study demonstrating that cupping therapy significantly reduced muscle stiffness, especially at the deep layer.
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Hou X, Wang X, Griffin L, Liao F, Peters J, Jan YK. Immediate and Delayed Effects of Cupping Therapy on Reducing Neuromuscular Fatigue. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:678153. [PMID: 34277583 PMCID: PMC8280458 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.678153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cupping therapy has been popular in elite athletes in recent years. However, the effect of cupping therapy on reducing muscle fatigue has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate and delayed effects of cupping therapy on reducing biceps brachii fatigue during biceps curls. Twelve healthy untrained participants were recruited for this repeated-measures study. Cupping therapy (–300 mmHg pressure for 5 min) and sham control (no negative pressure for 5 min) were applied after biceps fatigue induced by performing repeated biceps curls at 75% of the 10 repetitions of maximum of the non-dominant hand. Surface electromyography (EMG) with spectral analyses [mean frequency (MNF), median frequency (MDF), and spectral moments ratio (SMR)] were used to assess muscle fatigue during the fatigue task. EMG signals during the first 10 repetitions and the last 10 repetitions of biceps curls were used to assess neuromuscular fatigue. There were significant decreases in MNF and MDF and a significant increase in SMR immediately and 24 h after the sham control (no intervention). When comparing the MNF, MDF, and SMR after cupping therapy to the sham control, there was no significant immediate effect on reducing muscle fatigue. However, there was a significant delayed effect on improving recovery following fatigue for the cupping therapy compared to the sham control (MNF changes: sham 0.87 ± 0.02 vs. cupping 0.91 ± 0.02, p < 0.05; MDF changes sham: 0.85 ± 0.03 vs. cupping: 0.91 ± 0.02, p < 0.05; SMR changes: sham 1.89 ± 0.15 vs. cupping 1.58 ± 0.13, p < 0.05). The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a time effect of cupping therapy for reducing muscle fatigue. Cupping therapy is effective on reducing biceps brachii muscle fatigue after 24 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Hou
- Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Xiaoling Wang
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.,College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lisa Griffin
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Fuyuan Liao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, China
| | - Joseph Peters
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Yih-Kuen Jan
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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Hou X, He X, Zhang X, Liao F, Hung YJ, Jan YK. Using laser Doppler flowmetry with wavelet analysis to study skin blood flow regulations after cupping therapy. Skin Res Technol 2020; 27:393-399. [PMID: 33089947 DOI: 10.1111/srt.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to use laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) with wavelet analysis to investigate skin blood flow control mechanisms in response to various intensities of cupping therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess skin blood flow control mechanism in response to cupping therapy using wavelet analysis of laser Doppler blood flow oscillations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twelve healthy participants were recruited for this repeated-measures study. Three different intensities of cupping therapy were applied using 3 cup sizes at 35, 40, and 45 mm (in diameter) with 300 mm Hg negative pressure for 5 minutes. LDF was used to measure skin blood flow (SBF) on the triceps before and after cupping therapy. Wavelet analysis was used to analyze the blood flow oscillations (BFO) to assess blood flow control mechanisms. RESULTS The wavelet amplitudes of metabolic and cardiac controls after cupping therapy were higher than those before cupping therapy. For the metabolic control, the 45-mm cupping protocol (1.65 ± 0.09) was significantly higher than the 40-mm cupping protocol (1.40 ± 0.10, P < .05) and the 35-mm cupping protocol (1.35 ± 0.12, P < .05). No differences were showed in the cardiac control among the 35-mm (1.61 ± 0.20), 40-mm (1.64 ± 0.24), and 45-mm (1.27 ± 0.25) cupping protocols. CONCLUSION The metabolic and cardiac controls significantly contributed to the increase in SBF after cupping therapy. Different intensities of cupping therapy caused different responses within the metabolic control and not the cardiac control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Hou
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Xiangfeng He
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Xueyan Zhang
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Fuyuan Liao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yu-Ju Hung
- Department of Nursing, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yih-Kuen Jan
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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Mohammadi S, Roostayi MM, Naimi SS, Baghban AA. The effects of cupping therapy as a new approach in the physiotherapeutic management of carpal tunnel syndrome. PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 24:e1770. [DOI: 10.1002/pri.1770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Mohammadi
- Physiotherapy Research Center, School of RehabilitationShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Mohammad Mohsen Roostayi
- Physiotherapy Research Center, School of RehabilitationShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Sedigheh Sadat Naimi
- Physiotherapy Research Center, School of RehabilitationShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of RehabilitationShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
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Aboushanab T, AlSanad S. Cupping Therapy and Animal Research: The Progress. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2018; 11:81-82. [PMID: 29709565 DOI: 10.1016/j.jams.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tamer Aboushanab
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health, 11662, P.O 88300, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Saud AlSanad
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health, 11662, P.O 88300, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Al-Nada, Riyadh 13317-4233, Saudi Arabia.
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