ArticlePloS one2020
Influence of quantified dry cupping on soft tissue compliance in athletes with myofascial pain syndrome.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends and hotspots in cupping therapy research for pain: a bibliometric study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of cupping therapy on pain outcomes: an evidence-mapping study.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of dry cupping on exercise, autonomic activity and sleep in baseball players during preseason and in-season conditioning.PloS one · 2025Trial
- The Use of Cupping (Hijama) Therapy Among Athletes and Its Relationship With Sleep Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Palestine.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Time-Frequency, Complexity, and Fractal Analyses of Hemoglobin and Deoxyhemoglobin Responses to Quantify Mechanisms of Actions of Cupping Therapy.Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Duration-dependent effects of dry cupping on autonomic modulation and trapezius tissue compliance in smartphone users: a dose-finding study.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- The Effects of Dry-Needling Therapy on the Quality of Life in Athletes with Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Repeated Measures Design Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Using texture analysis of ultrasound images to assess the effect of cupping therapy on muscle quality of the triceps.PloS one · 2024Article
- The Immediate Effects of Dry Cupping the Lumbar Paraspinals on Range of Motion and Temperature.International journal of exercise science · 2024Article
- Effects of Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Cupping, and Massage on Sports Injuries: A Narrative Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Review
- Effect of durations and pressures of cupping therapy on muscle stiffness of triceps.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Article
- Application of traditional Chinese therapy in sports medicine.Sports medicine and health science · 2021Review
- Immediate and Delayed Effects of Cupping Therapy on Reducing Neuromuscular Fatigue.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aimed to develop a quantitative dry cupping system that can monitor negative pressure attenuation and soft tissue pull-up during cupping to quantify soft tissue compliance.
methodsBaseball players with myofascial pain syndrome were recruited to validate the benefits of cupping therapy. Nine of 40 baseball players on the same team were diagnosed with trapezius myofascial pain syndrome; another nine players from the same team were recruited as controls. All participants received cupping with a negative pressure of 400 mmHg for 15 minutes each time, twice a week, for 4 weeks. Subjective perception was investigated using upper extremity function questionnaires, and soft tissue compliance was quantified objectively by the system.
resultsDuring the 15-minute cupping procedure, pressure attenuation in the normal group was significantly greater than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.017). The soft tissue compliance in the normal group was significantly higher than that in the myofascial group (p = 0.050). Moreover, a 4-week cupping intervention resulted in an obvious increase in soft tissue lift in the myofascial pain group (p = 0.027), although there was no statistical difference in the improvement of soft tissue compliance. Shoulder (p = 0.023) and upper extremity function (p = 0.008) were significantly improved in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups.
conclusionThis quantitative cupping monitoring system could immediately assess tissue compliance and facilitate the improvement of soft tissues after cupping therapy. Hence, it can be used in athletes to improve their functional recovery and maintain soft tissues health during the off-season period.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.