Care Team: Massage Therapy/Cupping
I found a massage therapist at my chiropractor’s office and decided to try that to help with my muscle dysfunction and muscle pain. I will call her J. I went into this with skepticism, as I had done massage when I was working out to relax hurting muscles as they rebuilt, which is a different kind of massage than I thought IBM comfort called for. Boy, was I wrong.
J has helped me to get knots out that I didn't even know I had. It had occurred to me that I was tense because of this disease and all I had read about it and heard about it. But my shoulders were holding all that tension, and J helped me relax and enjoy life a little more. Even if that were the only benefit, I would keep doing it.
But now I have what I thought was sciatica. My hip hurts, and the pain goes down my glute. In doing massage, J found that I have scar tissue in that glute, and it is very tight. She asked if I was willing to try cupping. Once again, I was skeptical. I had seen those bright red blister-like things on Michael Phelps and thought it looked painful. It did not seem to me that it was applicable to my situation.
Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. People use it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.
Cupping might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1550 BC.
J placed the cups in 3 locations on each side of my lower back. They used red light therapy as well as the usual suction and were warming as well. It felt really weird at first, but no pain or anything, just an unusual feeling. We stuck with just 10 minutes, as this was my first experience. Immediately after getting dressed, I noticed I already felt better. The pain has been debilitating on some days. Now I felt no pain and felt the muscle was looser than before. The only marks are six red circles on my back. No big red bumps like Michael Phelps had. As days passed, the sciatica pain got less and less. I no longer have the pain down my leg, but only deep in my left glute, and we will keep working on it.
It is my observation that even if it never helps with the progression of IBM, I feel it is worth the cost. My insurance does not cover it at all, but I am willing to pay for two times a month. It is one of the few quiet times in this current world. No beeps, no coffee grinders, no one-sided phone conversations, no cars racing up and down just outside our patio, no landscapers using leaf blowers to blow debris around in circles…..just quiet music and the sound of a small fountain. As I lay down on the warm table, I heaved a great big sigh and began to enjoy the warmth and quiet. J starts the massage, and I smell the massage oil and relax even more. Then, the muscle relaxation starts as she kneads the muscles and holds pressure points. I feel not only the tightness disappearing but also emotional “tightness.” Sometimes I even feel like crying from the relief.
If you get the opportunity to go to a good massage therapist, do it. I know it seems like a luxury you should not afford if it is not part of your health plan (or at least that is how I felt), but how you get one or two days with your shoulders down from your ears and the comfort of the human touch, it feels worth it to me.
I may not try cupping again unless I get some other symptom that J thinks cupping helps, but for sure, I will not miss my regular massages.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
This blog post is based on personal experiences and is not meant to provide medical advice.
Always consult your healthcare professional for personalized guidance on your health journey.
