Michael Phelps, as
he continues to rack up gold, is sporting octopus style bruises on his
shoulders. He, like many athletes at the Rio Olympics, is a fan of “cupping.” Beach
Volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings wears a variety of colorful tape. The US
gymnastics team is using a futuristic looking device called LumiWave and everybody seems to be getting a massage
by one of the therapists on the periphery of the various Olympic venues.
These treatments are
being used to relieve pain, promote healing of the various injuries sustained and
help the athletes stay at peak performance level. It should also be noted that
the placebo effect is very much a factor. If an athlete has won a game having
just drunk beet juice or used a particular hairband, they will continue to do
that in the belief that it makes a difference.
So do these
treatments hold promise for the average person, particularly those with a
chronic condition?
Massage: Now a very mainstream modality, studies on massage find that it’s an
effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension and may also
be helpful for anxiety, digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia
related to stress, myofascial pain syndrome, soft tissue strains or injuries,
sports injuries and TMJ.
While most people
can benefit from massage, it may not be appropriate if you have: bleeding
disorders or taking blood thinners (e.g. Warfarin, Heparin); burns or healing
wounds; deep vein thrombosis; fractures; severe osteoporosis; or severe
thrombocytopenia.
Most states require
some form of licensing or certification for massage therapists. Before seeking
treatment, ask about licensing, certification or registration; training and
experience; costs and whether its covered by insurance. If the therapist
doesn’t ask you about any medical conditions, that could be an indicator of
inexperience. It is important for the massage therapist to know what type of
conditions you have.
Massage can be an
important part of your healing and well being, regardless of how you are
affected by a chronic condition. You can even learn how to do self and/or
partner massage.
Kinesiology Tape: Used by physical therapists and sports
trainers, this treatment benefits those who have a variety of musculoskeletal
ailments and pain by providing support and stability to muscles and joints
without restricting the body’s range of motion. There isn’t a lot of research on the use of this tape, let alone its
effectiveness, but it does appear that taping is helpful for certain injuries,
such as patella tendonitis. See a licensed therapist who can show you the
proper way to tape if you want to try it.
Cupping: According to the NIH’s National Center forComplementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Cupping
is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice that involves placing cups on
the skin to create suction. This practice dates back over 2,000 years but has
received recent attention in the media due to its use by world-class athletes
for injury relief. The cups used in cupping are typically made of bamboo,
glass, or earthenware. Proponents of cupping believe that the effect
of suction on the skin helps increase blood flow and promotes healing; however,
the way in which cupping may have an effect on the body is unclear. There is
some evidence suggesting that any therapeutic benefit from cupping may be the
result of a placebo effect, but a 2015 systematic review and
meta-analysis in the journal PLoS One concluded that cupping could be
effective in treating the pain and disability associated with chronic neck pain
and chronic low-back pain in the short term. There are a variety of types of cupping, including some that lance the skin. In traditional Chinese medicine, cupping is used in conjunction with other practices such as acupuncture.
While safe for healthy people when performed by a
trained professional, it can cause discomfort and even lead to skin breakdown. In
fact, the NCCIH does not recommend it for anyone with an underlying health
condition.
Costs for treatment, which are generally not covered by health
insurance, can run from $30-$80 or more depending on what else is done with the
treatment.
According to the British Cupping Society, the
following people should avoid cupping: pregnant or menstruating women or those
with metastatic cancer, bone fractures of muscle spasms. This therapy should
not be applied to sites of the body that have deep vein thrombosis, ulcer,
artery, or a pulse that can be felt.
Since you can purchase “therapy cupping kits” from
Amazon for as little as $22, all sorts of people are going to start offering
this treatment in view of its popularity at the Olympics.
If you want to consider cupping therapy
• Check with your medical provider to see if it
could be contra indicated because of your current medical situation
• Find a specialist who is trained and has been
doing it for a while.
• Don’t replace current treatment for cupping but
rather use it as an adjunct therapy.
LumiWave: Developed
in 2005 by the Colorado-based company BioCare Systems Inc., the device is a
chain of four black discs, each of which contains 50 infrared LEDs. When placed
on painful areas, such as a strained bicep or an inflamed lower back, the
device sends pulses of light that induce the release of nitric oxide in the
body, which promotes healing on a cellular level. The device supposedly
outperforms ice or heat to eliminate sourness and is now available to the
general public on a pre order basis for $450. The device was cleared by the FDA
as a Class II medical device “for temporary relief of minor muscle pain and
spasms and minor joint pain and stiffness.”
There is research that does support applying
infrared energy to reduce chronic low back, which also found no adverse
effects. One of the advantages of
LumiWave, and similar products (there are a wide variety on the market) is that
it does provide localized pain relief without the need for drugs, offering a
potential good option for treatment.
Since there are so many products readily
available-MSCT Infrared Wraps of Canada was used in one study-it’s a good idea
to talk to your medical provider about which device will be most appropriate
for your situation. Read reviews before purchasing.
Cyrochamber
Therapy: Really? In 2015 the manager of a cryotherapy salon
was found dead in one.
Cryotherapy or cold therapy is the I component of
R.I.C.E. following an injury or some surgeries (Rest, Ice, Compression and
Elevation). It’s a very effective treatment and it’s used by just about
everyone at some point. However, a cryochamber is different.
Here you enter a chamber or tank, which has been
cooled to mind numbingly cold temps-colder than a February night in Vermont,
and stay there for several minutes. Cold essentially stimulates the
body’s central nervous system into releasing endorphins and dopamines and
promoting vigorous blood flow. Yes, hot shot athletes like soccer
player Cristiano Ronaldo and Irish golfer Padraig Harrington swear by it, but
the FDA has not cleared or approved any whole body cryogenic devices.
Is it painful? Yes. Is it effective? The jury is still
out on that one. Basically, don’t do this unless your medical provider knows of
a therapeutic use that would be appropriate for your situation.
Finally, notice
the compression sleeves that are being worn by both basketball players and
track and field stars? They have become very popular as they are thought to aid
healing and improve performance. As to the latter, not so much, but there
appears to be some evidence that the benefit is actually in the recovery.
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