Cupping guides
Scars and scar tissue: how scars heal, when you can start massaging, scar massage and cupping step by step and what is reasonable to expect
Scars heal in phases over one to two years, and you can influence how soft, flat and mobile the scar becomes: pressure, silicone, sunscreen and above all scar massage from when the wound is fully healed. Here is how scars form, the difference between ordinary, hypertrophic and keloid scars, when you can start, scar massage and cupping step by step (including caesarean and surgical scars) and what is reasonable to expect.
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Stiff body: why you get stiff, when it should be investigated, and stretching and mobility training that actually help
Stiffness in the body is usually due to too little varied movement, not muscles that are too short: the tissue adapts to the position it spends most time in. Here are the causes, the warning signs (morning stiffness over an hour, stiffness with swelling or fever), the difference between stretching and mobility training, a daily 10-minute whole-body programme and how cupping is used to soften.
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Rheumatism and joint pain: what rheumatism is, when joint pain should be investigated, self-care that helps and what applies to massage and cupping
Rheumatism is a collective name for inflammatory diseases of the joints, muscles and connective tissue, with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) the most common. Joint pain with morning stiffness over an hour, soft warm swelling and fatigue should be investigated early, since treatment in time protects the joints. Here is the difference from osteoarthritis, the warning signs, the self-care with evidence and what applies to massage and cupping with rheumatic disease.
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Osteoarthritis: what it is, where it settles (hip, knee, hands, foot), the exercise that helps and the role of cupping
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease: the cartilage in the joint becomes thinner and uneven, the joint stiff and aching, especially in the hip, knee, hands, foot and spine. It cannot be cured, but the right exercise reduces pain as much as medication. Here is what happens in the joint, the symptoms, the warning signs, the exercise with the best evidence, self-care during flares and how cupping of the muscles around the joint is used as a complement.
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Herniated disc: symptoms, how it differs from lumbago and sciatica, self-care that works and what cupping can and cannot do
A herniated disc is when a disc between the vertebrae bulges out and presses on a nerve root, giving radiating pain, numbness or weakness in a leg or arm. Nine out of ten heal without surgery in six to twelve weeks. Here are the symptoms, the difference from lumbago and sciatica, the warning signs that need urgent care, the self-care and movement with evidence, and what cupping of the back muscles can and cannot do.
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Swollen knee and fluid on the knee: causes, when it needs assessment, self-care and lymphatic drainage with cups around the knee
A swollen knee means the joint or the tissue around it has filled with fluid: after an injury, from overload, osteoarthritis, an irritated bursa, a Baker's cyst or an inflammation. Here is how to tell the causes apart, which signals need quick assessment, the self-care (offloading, cold, elevation, gentle movement) and how to do lymphatic drainage with cups around the knee without pressing on the joint.
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Shoulder impingement: why lifting the arm hurts, the exercises that help and cupping around the shoulder
Shoulder impingement means the rotator cuff tendons and bursa are pinched under the shoulder blade's bony arch when the arm is lifted, giving pain between 60 and 120 degrees of lift, an ache on the outside of the upper arm and pain lying on your side. Here is why it happens, the warning signs, the exercises with the best evidence (rotator cuff, shoulder blade, posture), what to avoid and how to cup the muscles around the shoulder.
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Morton's neuroma and metatarsalgia: forefoot pain, the difference, what helps and cupping of the foot
Pain under the forefoot is usually metatarsalgia, overload of the bones and joints of the ball of the foot, or Morton's neuroma, a thickened nerve between the toes giving burning pain and numbness. Here is the difference, the warning signs, what helps (shoes, metatarsal pad, toe exercises), when care is needed, and how to cup the sole and calf.
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Hallux valgus (bunions): why they appear, what helps the pain, exercises, shoes and cupping of the foot
Hallux valgus is a crooked big toe with a bump at the toe joint on the inside of the foot, usually hereditary and worsened by tight shoes. The deformity cannot be exercised away, but the pain, stiffness and progression can be influenced. Here are the causes, what helps (shoes, insoles, toe spacers, foot exercises), when surgery is relevant and how to cup and massage the foot.
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