Cupping therapy uses the power of suction to create decompression in soft tissue — lifting fascial layers, releasing deep muscular tension, increasing blood flow, and clearing stagnation that compression-based therapies cannot reach. It is one of the oldest and most universally practiced healing techniques in the world.
Cupping therapy uses rounded cups — typically made of silicone, glass, or bamboo — placed on the skin to create a vacuum effect through suction. This lifts the underlying tissue upward, separating fascial layers, increasing local blood flow, and drawing stagnant blood, lymph, and metabolic waste products to the surface where they can be cleared by the circulatory system.
The technique has been used for thousands of years across Chinese, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, and Eastern European healing traditions. Today, it is practiced by acupuncturists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, and sports medicine physicians worldwide — and gained widespread public attention when Olympic swimmers were seen with the characteristic circular marks during the 2016 Olympics.
Most bodywork modalities — massage, chiropractic, physiotherapy — work through compression. They press into the tissue. Cupping is unique in that it works through decompression — it creates space. This allows it to reach layers of fascial restriction and muscular tension that are simply inaccessible to compression-based techniques.
The fascia — the connective tissue web that surrounds every muscle, organ, and bone in the body — responds to sustained decompression in ways that compression cannot achieve. Adhesions between fascial layers that cause pain, restrict movement, and prevent proper blood flow are gradually released. The result is a deep sense of relief and freedom of movement that many patients describe as unlike anything they have experienced from massage or other manual therapies.
Cupping often leaves temporary circular marks ranging in color from pale pink to deep purple or red. These are not bruises. They result from the capillaries near the surface of the skin being dilated by the suction, and from stagnant blood being drawn upward and dispersed. The color of the marks is actually diagnostically informative: darker marks indicate greater stagnation in that area — often corresponding to regions of chronic tension, poor circulation, or old injury.
The marks typically fade within 3 to 7 days. They are painless, and most patients barely notice them after leaving the clinic.
Dr. Bezemer offers static cupping, where cups are held in position for 5 to 15 minutes; sliding cupping, where lubricated cups are moved along muscle groups to produce a deep massage effect; and flash cupping, where rapid application and removal is used to stimulate circulation. She selects the approach based on your specific condition and what the tissue needs.
Decompression accesses layers of fascial restriction that compression-based therapies cannot reach.
Draws stagnant blood, lymph, and metabolic waste products to the surface for clearance by the circulatory system.
Most patients find cupping profoundly relaxing — many fall asleep during the treatment.
The color of cupping marks reveals the degree and location of underlying stagnation — helping guide the broader treatment plan.
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Dr. Bezemer evaluates each patient individually — if your condition is not listed, please call or book a consultation.
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