Clinicians in Berlin, Germany have shown that cupping for lower back pain, combined with analgesics, is more effective than analgesics alone. In the four week study they performed, 110 patients aged 18 to 65 were randomised to receive either eight sessions of cupping, plus paracetamol as required, or low suction cupping plus paracetamol as required, or paracetamol alone as required.
Compared with medication only, cupping plus paracetamol was a more effective treatment. At four weeks, both forms of cupping were comparable. However at twelve week follow-up, stronger cupping proved a superior option relative to controls. The researchers say that although the mechanism of cupping remains unclear, as it is a non-pharmacological and comparably safe therapy, it may be of use in clinical care independent of mechanisms.
(Pulsatile dry cupping in chronic low back pain – a randomized three-armed controlled clinical trial. BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 2 April 2018.)