Effectiveness of Chinese cupping massage during the initial stage of lipodystrophy (case report)

• Published in: Journal of Physical Education and Sport 2020-01, Vol.20, p.2239-2245
• Main Authors: Radziejowska, Maria, Radziejowski, Paweł, Rutkowska, Kinga
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case reports; Climate; Cosmetology; Females; Massage; Medical Evaluation; Physical Examinations; Skin
• ISSN: 2247-8051; 2247-806X
• DOI: 10.7752/jpes.2020.s3300

Our studies focus on the so-called hard cellulite, i.e. cellulite of "young and slim women". A subject of the study was a 23 years old female patient (BMI - 18.1) with stage 1 lipodystrophy on posterior surfaces of thighs and on the buttocks diagnosed with thermovision tests. During 6 weeks, 19 Chinese cupping massages were conducted using 10-cm rubber cup and a lubricant comprising of a mixture of jojoba oil (97%) and grapefruit essential oil (3%). Every massage lasted for 15 minutes (7-8 minutes for each thigh). Thermovision tests were carried out according to the ASTM E1213-97(2009) standards of the European Association of Thermology using a thermovision camera Flir E6. Infrared thermography is a completely non-invasive technic and it enables to detect and visualise distribution of body temperature. For the purposes of medical diagnostics, it is more important to learn temperature distribution and visualise its gradient than the measured temperature values themselves. The Chinese cupping massage therapy increased temperature of the studied area from 31.7-31.8°C to 32.7-33.6°C. Differences between maximum and minimum temperatures significantly decreased from 6.3°C to 2.7°C on the posterior surface of the right thigh and from 7.5°C to 5.0°C on the posterior surface of the left thigh. This may be indicative of a more even blood flow distribution in the examinedbody area. In addition, elimination of stage 1 cellulite symptoms according to thermovision criteria was observed.Additional analysis of how a single Chinese cupping massage treatment influences the studied body area allowed to understand the essence of its high effectiveness in improving blood circulation in the studied area showing lipodystrophic changes. A singular Chinese cupping massage influences heat emission of the studied area significantly more than manual massage with the same lubricant.In our opinion using thermovision to assess the effectiveness of massage treatment of cellulite can significantly increase its effectiveness, because it allows more precise identification of problematic areas at the initial stage of lipodystrophy and determination of temperature distribution before and after the treatment. This way it enables indirect assessment of blood circulation of the area affected by lipodystrophy..