Has anyone ever tried using these Chinese cups? I have one hip and thigh that is very tight, and painful, and I was thinking of trying what he's demonstrating here.

http://www.functionalpatterns.com/20...ectus-femoris/

I did have an Acupuncturist who use vacuum cupping on my back for tight muscles which were causing pain. It hurt like the dickens, and left hickeys on my back, but it was effective. I hope it helps you.

I tried it once and thought it was a bunch of BS

I almost ordered some just for the heck of it, but changed my mind.

Let us know if you try it and how it works for you.

I'm sure it is better to have for yourself than go pay for sessions.. Most things like this take more than a single session I'm sure.

Cupping works. However, I'm not so sure about the method used in the video. My chiro is from Taiwan and he has a medical grade cupping setup with electric vacuum (vs hand pump). When he does the cupping, the cups are not left in on vacuumed state like in the video (the vacuum cycles). The fascia is cupped about 1 second at a time. The goal is to release adhesions and fascia perpendicular to the skin. He also practices the Graston technique which uses tools to release adhesions and fascia parallel to the skin. He uses both techniques on me to release to really stubborn trigger points.

I asked him about the system he uses and he said it is not sold in the US and is not for home use.

I just found this good vacuum cupping video. It sounds like there's a lot of benefits you can get from it. She says it's especially good for old scars and injuries. It helps improve the blood flow and release adhesions. I think I might have to try this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mlw7u0H7ZE

That better reflects my experience even though she is using a hand pump.

I bought a set of Chinese Cups about two weeks ago and have been playing around with them. My first impression of them is good and I think that these might be helpful over time. Two weeks really isn't enough time to notice a big difference, so I'll have to use them for a while longer before I can really tell how well they work.

The thing with these, is, they pull on the muscle rather than push on it like most massage does, so it works the fascia from a different angle. It's also supposed to pull toxins and stagnant blood from the muscles.

The set I bought has 17 cups, but I've only been using 1 or 2 at a time. If I use more than that, they start to fall off.

I usually put some baby oil on my skin. That way the cup seals better, and oily skin pulls up into the cup easier. Then I move around while the cup is on there. You can really feel it pulling on the fascia. It's kind of like an active release technique. It does leave purple marks on your skin, but they really don't hurt. It's a little weird a first, but once you get used to it, it's no big deal

I'll give another update after I've use them for several months.

I put one of these Chinese cups on the upper part of my chest, the night before last, and after several minutes it started to fill up with blood. I took it off right away. It kind of freaked me out, but it stopped bleeding as soon as I pulled it off. All I can figure is there must've been a small scab, or a mole, or something there. I really couldn't tell where the blood came from. It was just kind of weird.

I've actually seen youtube videos, where they will make a small cut on the skin before applying the cup, to draw toxins and poisons out of an area, so I guess it doesn't cause any harm. It's just kind of nasty to see a cup full of blood. I've been using these cups a lot and that's the only time it's happened.

Freaky!

I'm had to move my appt to next Friday for release of scar tissue under my supraclavicular incisions.