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Research: BRIDGETT and COLLEAGUES,
Listed in Issue 291
Abstract
BRIDGETT and COLLEAGUES, 1 1 Endeavour College of Natural Health , Fortitude Valley, Australia; 2 2 Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen , Essen, Germany; 3 3 Sport and Exercise Discipline Group, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney , Sydney, NSW, Australia; 4 4 Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney , Sydney, NSW, Australia conducted a systematic review which aims to summarize the evidence of clinical trials on cupping for athletes.
Background
Despite the recent re-emergence of the process of cupping by athletes, supporting evidence for its efficacy and safety remains scarce. This systematic review aims to summarize the evidence of clinical trials on cupping for athletes.
Methodology
SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, PubMed, AMED, and CNKI databases were searched from their inception to December 10, 2016. Randomized controlled trials on cupping therapy with no restriction regarding the technique, or co-interventions, were included, if they measured the effects of cupping compared with any other intervention on health and performance outcomes in professionals, semi-professionals, and leisure athletes. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool were conducted independently by two pairs of reviewers.
Results
Eleven trials with n = 498 participants from China, the United States, Greece, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates were included, reporting effects on different populations, including soccer, football, and handball players, swimmers, gymnasts, and track and field athletes of both amateur and professional nature. Cupping was applied between 1 and 20 times, in daily or weekly intervals, alone or in combination with, for example, acupuncture. Outcomes varied greatly from symptom intensity, recovery measures, functional measures, serum markers, and experimental outcomes. Cupping was reported as beneficial for perceptions of pain and disability, increased range of motion, and reductions in creatine kinase when compared to mostly untreated control groups. The majority of trials had an unclear or high risk of bias. None of the studies reported safety.
Conclusion
No explicit recommendation for or against the use of cupping for athletes can be made. More studies are necessary for conclusive judgment on the efficacy and safety of cupping in athletes.
References
Rhianna Bridgett 1 , Petra Klose 2 , Rob Duffield 3 , Suni Mydock 1 , Romy Lauche 4. Effects of Cupping Therapy in Amateur and Professional Athletes: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials J Altern Complement Med; 24(3): 208-219. doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0191. Epub Nov 29 2017 Mar 2018.
