Start on the Road to Recovery!
Start on the Road to Recovery!
Fire cupping is an ancient medical technique that can be traced back to China, Egypt, or other Middle Eastern cultures. It recently gained popularity around 2016 when Olympians, like Michael Phelps, were seen with red circles all over their bodies. People immediately became curious about the cause and followed the clues that led to fire cupping. So what is fire cupping?
Fire Cupping is done by placing a flammable substance, such as alcohol, inside a cup and setting it on fire. Once the fire goes out, the cup is placed upside down on the affected area. As the air inside the cup cools, it creates a suction that causes the skin to rise and redden.
The purpose of fire cupping is to promote healing through non-invasive methods. About five to seven cups are applied during the session for about three minutes at a time. The suction under the cup causes the blood vessels to expand, encouraging blood flow and improving circulation.
During a dry needling treatment, one or more thin, monofilament needles are inserted into a muscle trigger point. A trigger point is a local band of tight, irritable and dysfunctional muscle tissue. This often emerges because of injury, overuse or poor movement patterns. When dry needling is applied to an affected muscle or trigger point, it can decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow and reduce pain. Patients often report immediate relief after treatment. The needles remain in your muscle for a short period of time — between 10 seconds and 20 minutes — during treatment. This depends on the treatment location, number of needles used and treatment goals. Dry needling is a safe technique for treating many musculoskeletal conditions, including shoulder pain, rotator cuff pain, biceps tendinitis, iliotibial band syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, low back pain, tennis elbow, whiplash or neck pain, headaches, muscle strains, hip pain and temporomandibular pain, also called TMJ.
Hijama is wet cupping. It’s derived from the word “Hajm”, which means sucking. Hijama involves performing small incisions on specific points on the body (depending on the condition and location of pain) and placing suction cups on these areas to draw out toxic blood. It is the oldest, most frequently used and often the most effective method of cupping. “Indeed, the best of remedies you have is cupping.” (Anas Bin Malik, sahih Bukhara 5371).We suggest you perform hijama 2-3 times a year. It’s an excellent detox for your body. If your therapist finds high levels of toxins coming out, they may suggest placing you on a detox program of performing Hijama once a month for 3 months consecutively. The therapist will aim to determine the root cause of the excess toxins.
Inversion therapy is a spine health technique that angles the body downward for a few minutes. The inversion therapy approach uses gravity and your own bodyweight to help stretch and elongate the spine, alleviating pressure of compressed discs. Inversion therapy is practiced using an inversion or traction table, which allows the user to secure themselves and then adjust the angle at which the table tilts. The user can remain in the inverted position for as long as they’d like—typically under 15 minutes, depending on the angle.
BENEFITS OF INVERSION TABLES: HOW INVERSION THERAPY RELIEVES CHRONIC BACK PAIN
Inversion therapy may sound like a trendy thing, but inverting the body is a natural therapeutic modality used for centuries for stretching, strength-building, pain-relief and more. Many therapists recommend inversion therapy and practitioners of inversion therapy can attest to the relief they feel and the improvements it’s added to their lives.
If you’re curious about inversion tables and how you can benefit from regular inversion therapy, read on to learn about how an inversion table could help with your chronic back pain and more.
WHAT IS INVERSION THERAPY?
Inversion therapy is a spine health technique that angles the body downward for a few minutes. The inversion therapy approach uses gravity and your own bodyweight to help stretch and elongate the spine, alleviating pressure of compressed discs. Inversion therapy is practiced using an inversion or traction table, which allows the user to secure themselves and then adjust the angle at which the table tilts. The user can remain in the inverted position for as long as they’d like—typically under 15 minutes, depending on the angle. Many people undergo inversion therapy during visits to their chiropractors or physiotherapists. However, if you feel like you could benefit from regular inversion therapy without the need for an appointment, you’re in luck. Inversion tables are available to have at home, ready to use as needed.
WHAT CONDITIONS CAN INVERSION THERAPY HELP WITH?
The principle behind inversion therapy is that it’s meant to be a way for a person to counter the effects that gravity has on their body. Gravity pulls organs, muscles and joints downward, compressing them against the spine. It’s believed that over time, this gravitationally caused compression can result in chronic back pain, fatigue and other related symptoms. While many cases of chronic back or lumbar pain are non-specific, meaning there is no one determinable cause, spinal compression is a likely contributing factor. Most people are too sedentary these days, sitting for long periods without enough active movement to counter the stillness. Holistic solutions such as inversion therapy and many other wellness approaches can help reverse the effects of sedentary life by promoting movement and circulation. Because inversion therapy alleviates pressure from the spine and increases the space between vertebrae, it’s considered a holistic solution for pain relief. Some of the conditions people manage with inversion therapy include:
Cervical traction is a treatment for neck pain that involves lightly pulling on your head to create space between the bones in your neck (your cervical vertebrae). You might see it referred to as spinal traction. Cervical traction is used to treat lots of conditions that cause neck and back pain. In addition to treating conditions that affect your vertebrae, it can treat issues with nerves and muscles around your spine, too. Cervical traction can be used to treat temporary conditions, including:
Cupping therapy is an ancient healing technique that some people use to ease pain. A provider places cups on your back, stomach, arms, legs or other parts of your body. A vacuum or suction force inside the cup pulls your skin upward. Cupping therapy is a form of traditional medicine that originated in China and West Asia. People have practiced this method for thousands of years. Cupping uses suction to draw blood to or away from specific areas of your body. People mostly use cupping to relieve conditions that cause pain. Some people say it also helps with chronic (ongoing) health issues. Cupping may ease symptoms of Arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Back pain, neck pain, knee pain and shoulder pain.