Combining Static and Dynamic Myofascial Dry Cupping Therapy to Improve Local and Regional Symptoms in Individuals with Low Back Pain: A Case Series.
Brent Harper, Alana Dudek, Julianne Williamson and 2 others
PMID 38313662WHAT IT FOUND
Three people with chronic low back pain reported zero pain and less disability after three cupping sessions.
However, with no control group and static and dynamic cups applied together, it is impossible to know if cupping caused these changes or if they would have happened anyway.
Key findings
01All three participants reported complete pain resolution (0/10) and improved disability scores after three intervention visits.
02Passive straight leg raise range of motion improved on both sides, and pressure pain threshold in the low back increased, but generalized pain sensitivity at the shin did not change.
03Because static and dynamic cupping were combined and applied to multiple body regions without a control group, the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only three participants with no control group, making it impossible to distinguish the treatment effect from natural fluctuation, placebo, or regression to the mean. Multiple interventions (static and dynamic cupping) were applied to different body regions simultaneously, so the effect of any single component cannot be isolated. The authors note a potential floor effect for the disability measure, meaning the participants' baseline disability scores were already low, which may have masked further meaningful improvements. Strict exclusion criteria (e.g., no current use of pain medication or other physical therapy) limit how well these results apply to typical patients with complex pain histories.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and stated that no funding was received.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cupping caused the pain resolution. With only three participants and no control group, these improvements cannot be distinguished from natural symptom fluctuation or the placebo effect.