What is cupping therapy?
Cupping is a decompression technique. Cups are placed on the skin and a vacuum is drawn inside them, which lifts the skin and the soft tissue beneath it rather than pressing down on it. That reversal is the entire point. Almost every other form of soft tissue work compresses, from massage to instrument work to a forearm in your upper back. Cupping pulls the tissue apart instead. The suction separates layers that have become stuck to one another, decompresses the space between skin, fascia and muscle, and draws fresh blood into a region where circulation has gone sluggish. Cups can sit still over one stubborn spot or glide across a broader area once the skin is lubricated, and the suction can be dialled anywhere from very light to firm. The sensation is unusual but not sharp: a heavy, warm pull that most people find settles quickly. At Fittees, cupping sits inside a full 45 to 60 minute session with Dr. Tochi Egbuzie, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, one on one. She uses it where decompression is genuinely the right answer, then follows it with the movement that makes the change hold.
On its own, cupping is a temporary change in how tissue feels. Paired with mobility work and loading in the same visit, it becomes range you keep. Most patients feel a change after the first session, and typical plans run two to three visits a week for four to six weeks. Fittees is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Medicare, and for other insurance we provide a detailed superbill so you can file for out-of-network reimbursement. No referral is required to start, because Texas is a direct access state.
