The Effect of Wet Cupping Therapy on Recovery in Athletes

Year 2025, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 333 - 346, 30.08.2025

Mihri Barış Karavelioğlu , Said Altıkat , Gizem Başkaya

https://doi.org/10.54141/psbd.1639863

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of wet cupping therapy (WCT) on post-exercise recovery in active athletes. A total of 11 healthy and active athletes, with a mean age of 21.4 ± 1.77 years, an average height of 1.77 ± 0.1 m, a mean body weight of 75.4 ± 5.65 kg, and an average training experience of 10.6 ± 2.35 years, voluntarily participated in the study. Initially, the participants' resting heart rate and blood lactate levels were measured, followed by the Yoyo-1 test conducted until exhaustion. During the first measurement, heart rate and blood lactate levels were recorded post-exercise recovery at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, and 30 minutes. In the second measurement, the same test protocol was applied; however, this time, WCT was administered post-exercise recovery, and the same measurements were repeated at identical intervals. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and groups were compared using the Paired-Samples T-Test, with a significance level set at p<0.05. The results indicated that WCT had a significant effect on reducing blood lactate levels and heart rate after exercise. These findings suggest that WCT may be an effective method for enhancing recovery.

Keywords

Cupping , Recovery , Performance , Lactate

References

• Abdelfattah, A., Zureigat, A., Almotiri, A., Alzughailat, M., Al-Khreisat, M. J., & Abdel Fattah, O. (2024). The impact of wet cupping on haematological and inflammatory parameters in a sample of Jordanian team players. Heliyon, 10(7), e29330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29330
• Afonso, J., Clemente, F. M., Nakamura, F. Y., Morouço, P., Sarmento, H., Inman, R. A., & Ramirez-Campillo, R. (2021). The effectiveness of post-exercise stretching in short-term and delayed recovery of strength, range of motion, and delayed onset muscle soreness: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 677581. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.677581
• Ahmaıdı, S., Granier, P., Taoutaou, Z., Mercıer, J., Dubouchaud, H., & Prefaut, C. (1996). Effects of active recovery on plasma lactate and anaerobic power following repeated intensive exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 28(4), 450–456. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199604000-00010
• Al-Bedah, A. M. N., Elsubai, I. S., Qureshi, N. A., Aboushanab, T. S., Ali, G. I. M., El-Olemy, A. T., Khalil, A. A. H., Khalil, M. K. M., & Alqaed, M. S. (2018). The medical perspective of cupping therapy: Effects and mechanisms of action. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 9(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2018.03.003
• Calleja-Gonzalez, J., Marques-Jimenez, D., Jones, M., Huyghe, T., Navarro, F., Delextrat, A., Jukic, I., Ostojic, S. M., Sampaio, J. E., Schelling, X., Alcaraz, P. E., Sanchez-Bañuelos, F., Leibar, X., Mielgo-Ayuso, J., & Terrados, N. (2020). What are we doing wrong when athletes report higher levels of fatigue from traveling than from training or competition? Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 194. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00194
• Cao, H., Li, X., Yan, X., Wang, N. S., Bensoussan, A., & Liu, J. (2014). Cupping therapy for acute and chronic pain management: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 1(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcms.2014.11.001
• Coates, A. M., Joyner, M. J., Little, J. P., Jones, A. M., & Gibala, M. J. (2023). A perspective on high-intensity interval training for performance and health. Sports Medicine, 53(Suppl 1), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01938-6
• Davis, H. L., Alabed, S., & Chico, T. J. A. (2020). Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), e000614. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2019-000614
• Delextrat, A., Calleja-González, J., Hippocrate, A., & Clarke, N. D. (2013). Effects of sports massage and intermittent cold-water immersion on recovery from matches by basketball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(1), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.719241
• Dergaa, I., Ghram, A., Romdhani, M., Souissi, A., Ammar, A., Farahat, R. A., Fessi, M. S., Irandoust, K., Taheri, M., Masmoudi, T., Dergaa, M. A., Souissi, N., Hammouda, O., Weiss, K., Chamari, K., Ben Saad, H., & Knechtle, B. (2023). Does wet-cupping therapy improve repeated sprint ability, perceived wellness, and rating of perceived exertion in young active males? Sports Medicine and Health Science, 6(4), 378–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2023.09.007
• Ekrami, N., Ahmadian, M., Nourshahi, M., & Shakouri, H. (2021). Wet-cupping induces anti-inflammatory action in response to vigorous exercise among martial arts athletes: A pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 56, 102611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102611
• Fullagar, H. H., Duffield, R., Skorski, S., Coutts, A. J., Julian, R., & Meyer, T. (2015). Sleep and recovery in team sport: Current sleep-related issues facing professional team-sport athletes. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 10(8), 950–957. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2014-0565
• Harris, P. R., Keen, D. A., Constantopoulos, E., Weninger, S. N., Hines, E., Koppinger, M. P., Khalpey, Z. I., & Konhilas, J. P. (2019). Fluid type influences acute hydration and muscle performance recovery in human subjects. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0282-y
• Irandoust, K., Ben Saad, H., Mohammadgholiha, F., Taheri, M., & Dergaa, I. (2022). Effects of dry cupping therapy and creatine supplementation on inflammatory and cardiovascular responses to the Wingate test in handball players. La Tunisie Médicale, 100(3), 262–269.
• Kaesaman, N., & Eungpinichpong, W. (2019). The acute effect of traditional Thai massage on recovery from fatigue in basketball players. Geomate Journal, 16(55), 53–58.
• Karavelioğlu, M. B., Altıkat, S., Başkaya, G., & Gökçelik, E. (2019). Investigation of the effect of wet cupping application on certain performance and blood parameters of athletes. Sportif Bakış: Spor ve Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(1), 74–84.
• Karavelioğlu, M. B., Başkaya, G., & Karavelioğlu, B. (2021). Examination of the effect of different warm-up protocols on speed and vertical jump performance in child soccer players. Sportif Bakış: Spor ve Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 8(2), 244–256.
• Karavelioğlu, M. B., Korkmaz, S. H., Hadi, G., & Aydın, S. (2024). An investigation of the effects of different warm-up protocols on some performance values of young football players. Sportif Bakış: Spor ve Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 11(2), 147–162.
• Kiloatar, H., Delibay, A. A., Turutgen, N., & Karavelioglu, M. B. (2024). Can manual lymph drainage be considered as a passive recovery strategy? Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2023-0301
• King, M., Duffield, R. (2009). The effects of recovery interventions on consecutive days of intermittent sprint exercise. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(6), 1795-1802.
• Mihajlovic, M., Cabarkapa, D., Cabarkapa, D. V., Philipp, N. M., & Fry, A. C. (2023). Recovery methods in basketball: A systematic review. Sports, 11(11), 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11110230
• Musumeci, G. (2016). Could cupping therapy be used to improve sports performance? Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 1(4), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk1040373
• Orrù, S., Imperlini, E., Nigro, E., Alfieri, A., Cevenini, A., Polito, R., Daniele, A., Buono, P., & Mancini, A. (2018). Role of functional beverages on sport performance and recovery. Nutrients, 10(10), 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101470
• Pelana, R., Raharjo, S., Sulaiman, I., & Hermanto, C. (2020). Effects of cold-water immersion to aid basketball athlete’s recovery after high-intensity interval training. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 29, 2052–2056.
• Plews, D. J., Laursen, P. B., Kilding, A. E., & Buchheit, M. (2014). Heart-rate variability and training-intensity distribution in elite rowers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 9(6), 1026–1032. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2013-0497
• Querido, S. M., Radaelli, R., Brito, J., Vaz, J. R., & Freitas, S. R. (2022). Analysis of recovery methods' efficacy applied up to 72 hours postmatch in professional football: A systematic review with graded recommendations. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 17(9), 1326–1342. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2022-0038
• Sarı, R., Demirkan, E., & Kaya, M. (2016). Investigation of the effect of different recovery practices on lactic acid levels in swimmers. Contemporary Medical Journal, 6(4), 327–333. https://doi.org/10.16899/ctd.59324
• Teut, M., Kaiser, S., Ortiz, M., Roll, S., Binting, S., Willich, S. N., & Brinkhaus, B. (2012). Pulsatile dry cupping in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee–a randomized controlled exploratory trial. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 12, 1-9.
• Umar, N. K., Tursunbadalov, S., Surgun, S., Welcome, M. O., & Dane, S. (2018). The effects of wet cupping therapy on the blood levels of some heavy metals: A pilot study. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 11(6), 375–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2018.08.185
• Valenzuela, P. L., de la Villa, P., & Ferragut, C. (2015). Effect of two types of active recovery on fatigue and climbing performance. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 14(4), 769–775. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657419/
• Van Hooren, B., & Peake, J. M. (2018). Do we need a cool-down after exercise? A narrative review of the psychophysiological effects and the effects on performance, injuries, and the long-term adaptive response. Sports Medicine, 48(7), 1575–1595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0916-2
• Wiewelhove, T., Döweling, A., Schneider, C., Hottenrott, L., Meyer, T., Kellmann, M., Pfeiffer, M., & Ferrauti, A. (2019). A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 376. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00376