Michael phelps cupping pictures

Swimmer has large purple marks on his body at Rio Olympics, the result of a type of suction massage popular with the US team. While the guesses as to their origin offered on social media ranged from crop circles to tattoos to a symptom of the Zika virusthe real answer is they are the result of cupping therapy — a suction-based massage popular in the US Olympic team. In the ancient form of the therapy, michael phelps cupping pictures, believed to originate in Egypt or China, the air inside the cup is heated before being place on the skin, creating suction in that cupped area. The modern form michael phelps cupping pictures the therapy, and the one that Phelps has been photographed receiving, uses cups attached to suction pumps.

The ancient healing method of cupping is being used by several Olympians in Rio de Janeiro. The technique is intended to stimulate blood flow. Practitioners of the healing technique — or sometimes the athletes themselves — place specialized cups on the skin. Then they use either heat or an air pump to create suction between the cup and the skin, pulling the skin slightly up and away from the underlying muscles. Thanks arschmitty for my cupping today!!! Physiologically, cupping is thought to draw blood to the affected area, reducing soreness and speeding healing of overworked muscles. Athletes who use it swear by it, saying it keeps them injury free and speeds recovery.

Michael phelps cupping pictures

Thanks arschmitty for my cupping today!!! If it works, it works. And for those of you who want to see a close-up of Phelps doing whatever it takes to stay at the top of his game and the Games At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone. Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall. Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? As Americans head to the polls in , the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to having well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you.

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The practice has been used in ancient Chinese medicine for thousands of years as a way to treat pain, muscle stiffness and even respiratory issues. Perhaps one of the most notable athletes to sport the signature cupping marks is Michael Phelps. Other athletes, including swimmer Natalie Coughlin have also embraced the practice, as you can see below. A post shared by Natalie Coughlin nataliecoughlin. So how does cupping work? Either heat or air is used to create a suction in special cups that are placed on the body. Cupping is thought to pull blood to a certain area, and improve circulation and loosen up muscles and joints. In the U.

Michael phelps cupping pictures

Perfectly circular, they look like some kind of rash. I asked for a little help yesterday because I was a little sore and I was training hard. Cupping is a Chinese practice of sucking the skin away from the underlying muscles for a short period of time in order to stimulate blood flow. Traditionally, cupping involves wiping the skin with something flammable like alcohol, and then lighting a match in an inverted small cup to build up heat. The match goes out, and the cup is placed over the skin, where the heat builds up pressure and starts pulling the skin away. Over several minutes, the blood vessels start to expand and tiny capillaries near the surface break, which causes the redness. The U. They brought with them their physical therapists and their own recovery methods, which included cupping they did it the semi-old-fashioned way with bamboo shoots, alcohol and lighters. In , Phelps started increasing his workouts and the intensity of his swimming to prepare for Rio, and finding a quick way to recover and relax his muscles was a high priority. That allows muscles can move more freely and easily.

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Still, a placebo effect can be beneficial, and for athletes at the Olympic level any legal edge, however tenuous, may be worth a few eye-catching bruises. Main Menu U. The technique is intended to stimulate blood flow. Even so, Dr. Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. And for those of you who want to see a close-up of Phelps doing whatever it takes to stay at the top of his game and the Games Kevin Rindal, the chiropractor for the United States swim teams, is one of only four chiropractors Phelps trusts to work on him. Notably, the patients who had used cupping scored higher on measurements of well-being and felt less pain when pressure was applied to the area. Celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow have also been photographed with cupping marks on their skin. HuffPost Personal. From Our Partner. Allow Instagram content?

The ancient healing method of cupping is being used by several Olympians in Rio de Janeiro.

That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone. The ancient healing method of cupping is being used by several Olympians in Rio de Janeiro. Robinson said. Then they use either heat or an air pump to create suction between the cup and the skin, pulling the skin slightly up and away from the underlying muscles. Allow Instagram content? From Our Partner. Reuse this content. More In Sports. Kalichman said he believes the treatment has a real physiological effect as well. Most viewed. Even so, the researchers noted that more study is needed to determine the potential benefits of cupping. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. Athletes who use it swear by it, saying it keeps them injury free and speeds recovery. It may be that cupping, by causing local inflammation, triggers the immune system to produce cytokines, small proteins that enhance communication between cells and help to modulate the immune response.