Cupping guides
Knee osteoarthritis and knee pain: what really helps, the exercise that is medicine and what cupping can add
Knee osteoarthritis is the most common cause of knee pain after 45. The cartilage thins, the knee stiffens and aches, but the state of the joint and the pain do not always match, and adapted exercise is the best documented treatment. Here is how to recognise osteoarthritis, what helps, when to see a doctor and what research actually says about cupping for knee OA.
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Achilles tendinopathy: why the Achilles tendon hurts, the exercises that heal it and how to cup the calf around the tendon
Achilles tendinopathy is an overload of the Achilles tendon that makes it stiff and tender, especially in the morning and at the start of training. It heals with the right load, above all eccentric heel drops. Here are the causes, the programme, the warning signs of a rupture and how cupping the calf helps.
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Calf cramps: why they come at night, what to do when one strikes and how to prevent them
A calf cramp, often at night, is a sudden, painful contraction that is almost always harmless but can disturb sleep. Here are the causes, what to do in the moment, how to prevent them with stretching, fluids and movement, when a cramp is a sign of something else and how cupping the calf can help.
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Hip pain: what the location tells you, self-care that helps and how to cup the muscles around the hip
Where the hip hurts says a lot about the cause: the outside (trochanteritis/bursa), the groin (hip arthritis), the buttock (piriformis, sciatica) or the front (hip flexors). Here is what helps for each type, when to see a doctor and how to cup the muscles around the hip.
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Piriformis syndrome: deep buttock pain radiating down the leg, self-care that helps and cupping the gluteal muscles
Piriformis syndrome, or false sciatica, means the deep gluteal muscle piriformis is so tight that it irritates the sciatic nerve. The pain sits deep in the buttock, is worse with sitting and can radiate down the thigh. Here is how it differs from a disc herniation, the self-care that helps and how to cup the buttock.
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Shin splints: why the shin hurts, self-care that heals and how to cup calves and lower legs
Shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, is an overload of the inside of the shin that almost always comes from increasing running or jumping too fast. Here are the causes, how to plan your return, the warning signs of a stress fracture and how cupping the calves and lower legs helps the muscles let go.
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Frozen shoulder and shoulder pain: what hurts, the phases, self-care that works and cupping around the shoulder
Shoulder pain can be frozen shoulder (a stiff, inflamed joint capsule in three phases), impingement, calcific tendinitis, arthritis or radiation from the neck. Here you tell them apart, learn what helps in each phase, when to see a doctor and how cupping the muscles around the shoulder can relieve it.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome and numb hands: causes, self-care that helps and what cupping can do
Numbness and tingling in the thumb, index and middle finger, worst at night, is usually carpal tunnel syndrome: the median nerve is compressed at the wrist. Here are the causes, the self-care that works (night splint first), when to see a doctor, and where cupping can and cannot be used.
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Muscle soreness (DOMS): why it comes the day after, what actually helps and how to cup sore muscles
Muscle soreness, or DOMS, is the aching that comes one to three days after unfamiliar or hard training and is caused by small damage to the muscle fibres, not lactic acid. It passes in a few days. Here is what relieves it, what does not, when soreness is something else and how to cup sore muscles.
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