Abstract
Cupping therapy has been popular in elite athletes in recent years. However, the effect of cupping therapy on reducing muscle fatigue has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate and delayed effects of cupping therapy on reducing biceps brachii fatigue during biceps curls. Twelve healthy untrained participants were recruited for this repeated-measures study. Cupping therapy (–300 mmHg pressure for 5 min) and sham control (no negative pressure for 5 min) were applied after biceps fatigue induced by performing repeated biceps curls at 75% of the 10 repetitions of maximum of the non-dominant hand. Surface electromyography (EMG) with spectral analyses [mean frequency (MNF), median frequency (MDF), and spectral moments ratio (SMR)] were used to assess muscle fatigue during the fatigue task. EMG signals during the first 10 repetitions and the last 10 repetitions of biceps curls were used to assess neuromuscular fatigue. There were significant decreases in MNF and MDF and a significant increase in SMR immediately and 24 h after the sham control (no intervention). When comparing the MNF, MDF, and SMR after cupping therapy to the sham control, there was no significant immediate effect on reducing muscle fatigue. However, there was a significant delayed effect on improving recovery following fatigue for the cupping therapy compared to the sham control (MNF changes: sham 0.87 ± 0.02 vs. cupping 0.91 ± 0.02, p < 0.05; MDF changes sham: 0.85 ± 0.03 vs. cupping: 0.91 ± 0.02, p < 0.05; SMR changes: sham 1.89 ± 0.15 vs. cupping 1.58 ± 0.13, p < 0.05). The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a time effect of cupping therapy for reducing muscle fatigue. Cupping therapy is effective on reducing biceps brachii muscle fatigue after 24 h.
Highlights
Muscle fatigue is defined as a transient reduction in the capacity to perform physical action (Enoka and Duchateau, 2008)
When comparing the change of mean frequency (MNF) after cupping therapy to sham control, there was no immediate effect on reducing muscle fatigue (sham 0.89 ± 0.02 vs. cupping 0.93 ± 0.03, FIGURE 2 | An example of spectral analysis of surface electromyographic signals for assessing muscle fatigue during biceps curls. (A) A segment of an EMG signal corresponding to a bout of exercise, including 10 repetitions of biceps curls. (B) Mean frequency (MNF), (C) median Frequency (MDF), and (D) spectral moments ratio (SMR) of the power spectra calculated using a Hamming window of 0.512 s (512 samples) moving in a step of 0.032 s (32 samples)
When comparing the change of median frequency (MDF) after cupping therapy to sham control, there was no immediate effect on reducing muscle fatigue
Summary
Muscle fatigue is defined as a transient reduction in the capacity to perform physical action (Enoka and Duchateau, 2008). Various interventions (e.g., stretching, cooling, and massage) have been proposed to reduce muscle fatigue after exercise (Wiltshire et al, 2010; De Pauw et al, 2011). A widely used intervention for reducing muscle fatigue in sports competitions, can alleviate muscle soreness after intensive exercise, but it has no recovery effect on muscle strength (Hunter et al, 2006; Bender et al, 2019). These three popular interventions may ameliorate muscle fatigue, they may cause adverse effects on muscle recovery and performance. An intervention capable of reducing muscle fatigue without causing significant adverse effects should be identified for reducing risk of sports injury associated with muscle fatigue
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