Two caveats: I’m not a fan of massages, and I’m aware that cupping is a questionable practice.
After a few days in Seattle on unfamiliar beds, I managed to tweak something in my shoulder, which eventually spread to my neck, and possibly even a migraine. I’m 40 days out until the London Marathon, which means a lot of miles and speed are on the docket. I’ve been powering through, but doing 20 miles with a stabbing pain in your shoulder isn’t great. I connected with a local sports massage pro (who oddly enough I took sailing classes with a year or so ago), and found out she incorporated cupping. This is something I’ve wanted to try for a while, so it was a nice surprise. Overall it wasn’t painful except a tiny bit at the tops of my shoulders.
Results so far:
- Pretty wicked giant
hickies - Feels pretty dang good (same day)
- Was surprised by how it felt (no pain)
- Very glad I got a pro to do it (almost tried myself)
- Will definitely build this into heavy training months