Effects of Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Cupping, and Massage on Sports Injuries: A Narrative Review

Table 5

The application of cupping for various diseases.

Condition	Intervention	Area	Comparison	Primary outcomes measure	Effective rate/conclusion	References
Plantar heel pain	Dry cupping plus exercises	Calf muscle	Stretching exercises and plantar fascia and ankle dorsiflexion exercises	VAS, PPT, and PSFS	Intervention group was superior to only exercises in pain and plantar flexor strength	[61]
Low back pain	Cupping plus McKenzie therapy	DU2, BL40, and Ashi points	McKenzie therapy	VAS	95.8%	[62]
Low back pain	Moxibustion and cupping plus medium-frequency pulse	Waist	Medium-frequency pulse	The degree of low back pain	97.62%	[63]
Low back pain	Control group plus cupping	Bladder meridian	Oral analgesics and external application of the Chinese medicine	VAS	95%	[64]
Low back pain	Acupuncture and cupping plus microwave	Bladder meridian	Microwave treatment	The degree of low back pain	94%	[65]

Note. PPT: pressure pain threshold; PSFS: patient-specific functional scale; VAS: visual analogue scale.