If you’ve tuned into the summer Olympics in Paris, you may have watched gymnast Simone Biles add another medal to her resumé or swimmer Katie Ledecky snag four. If you’ve been paying particular attention to swimming, you’ve also likely noticed some of the athletes’ bodies are not only adorned with tattoos but also red and purple circular marks that look like bruises or very large hickeys. No, they weren’t attacked by bugs or animals, but instead, these marks result from a wellness therapy known as “cupping,” or myofascial decompression (MFD).
“Cupping is a common technique utilized to treat soft tissue injuries and increase flexibility,” Neal Stepp, senior athletic trainer at Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute Performance Health, told Salon, adding there are different techniques. “The most popular cupping technique utilizes a negative pressure soft tissue treatment using suction to manipulate the skin and underlying tissue.”
