Cupping Therapy for Foot Pathology

Cupping Therapy Question and Answer Series

Intro

Thank you for joining us for another installment of our Cupping Therapy Q&A Series. Here, we feature clinical questions submitted to us by ACE Massage Cupping Therapy practitioners. Our educators offer some brief insight on the topic so that you can expand your working knowledge on this revolutionary bodywork therapy and its benefits.

Question

I’m a podiatrist and treat people with foot pathology all day long, so I had some questions. Besides the obvious treatments for foot and ankle sprains, could cupping therapy help with neuropathy, vascular complications, and ulcers?

Also, I was wondering if this could conservatively treat some biomechanical issues such as bunions and hammertoes, plantar fasciitis and tendinitis. That might be a stretch! Can cupping therapy be used to free up some tendons and ligaments that might be bound down?

Answer

The machine is incredibly effective for the feet, and I have used it successfully for plantar fasciitis, as well as tendinitis, bunions and hammertoes. We have had some great results with diabetic neuropathy, vascular issues, range of motion, and even bone spurs. We cannot work directly over or near ulcers, yet have found that using the vacuum for lymphatic drainage of the upper limb has often begun to change the condition of the foot.

Sprains and other injuries, whether old or new, have responded to fascial release and drainage of the area to achieve a more complete recovery. We also work on scars from injury and surgery to reduce the appearance, along with the restrictions they can cause.

As for tissue that is bound down, the vacuum suction produced with cupping therapy can gently and comfortably separate the layers to enable more freedom of movement and decreased pain. We can do all of this work with the manual equipment, yet work on the feet often requires a strong suction and a vacuum therapy machine is much easier on the therapist. I also use magnetic micro-cups for foot conditions that include inflammation.

Additional Recommendations

ACE would highly recommend Kinetic Chain Patterns for Complicated Knee Conditions online course for students interested in treating foot and leg-related issues.

Submit a Question

To submit a question featured on our blog, contact info@massagecupping.com.

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About the Author

Anita J. Shannon has been a licensed massage therapist and licensed cosmetologist since 1983. She specializes in skin care, body treatments, clinical aromatherapy, and various modalities of massage therapy. She has been a national educator since 1990, appearing at numerous national spa and massage conventions each year. For four years, Anita appeared as a co-host on the television program “Health Options Today” with Dr. Mitchell Ghen.

Anita is the founder and director of Advanced Continuing Education (ACE), an NCBTMB CE provider established in 2001. Anita has presented hundreds of workshops on ACE Massage Cupping and MediCupping therapy throughout the US and internationally since 2002. Anita has been published on the subject of cupping therapy in industry publications such as Massage Today, Massage Magazine, and Les Nouvelles Esthetiques. She has published two educational videos on ACE Massage Cupping bodywork, two on MediCupping therapy and one on TheraCupping home care, and is currently writing a book on VacuTherapies. In 2011, Anita was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Anita opened ACE Institute Online, an online education portal designed to bring cupping therapy training into the digital age. Since its debut in 2016, ACE Institute Online has introduced the revolutionary techniques found in ACE Massage Cupping and MediCupping to over ten thousand students worldwide.