Cupping therapy is an alternative treatment method that uses special cups to create a vacuum on the skin. This therapy has a long history in traditional medicine and is used to relieve pain, improve circulation, and reduce muscle tension.
In patients with cervicobrachial plexitis, a condition in which the nerves in the brachial plexus become inflamed or damaged, cupping therapy can play an important role in complex rehabilitation. Cervicobrachial plexitis results in pain, numbness, muscle weakness, and impaired motor function of the arm, and treatment includes physical therapy, medication, and other recovery methods.
After the acute stage and the severe pain accompanying it have subsided, physiotherapy can be applied in its full range of methods to reduce the pain cycle, residual pain, and muscle spasm, as well as to improve blood circulation and achieve a lasting therapeutic result. Cupping therapy, combined with massage and therapeutic exercises, can be effectively included in the rehabilitation process. Its therapeutic effect is due to vacuum-induced hyperemia and stimulation of the skin receptors. This leads to improved blood circulation, muscle relaxation, and reduction of oedema around the nerve roots. In view of these positive therapeutic effects, we considered that cupping therapy can be successfully applied in our study.
The aim of this paper is to present a case from practice in which cupping therapy was used as an alternative method in the complex rehabilitation of a patient with cervicobrachial plexitis. The patient was a 24-year-old woman with a disease duration of more than one year, presenting with upper extremity numbness, pain, and limited range of motion of the shoulder joint. The results of the therapy showed a significant improvement in functional status.
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