La thérapie par ventouses applique des ventouses à succion sur la peau pour aspirer le tissu situé en dessous, et son usage le plus clair est le soulagement de la douleur à court terme, le plus étudié pour la nuque et le bas du dos. Les ventouses font de façon fiable mieux que ne rien faire.
Face à un placebo conçu pour imiter la traction, elles n'offrent pas d'avantage net. Le risque est faible, vous pouvez apprendre vous-même la forme sèche, et les marques rondes qu'elles laissent sont de simples ecchymoses qui s'estompent en deux semaines environ.
Findings & Outcomes
What Cupping Does
Across 18 pooled trials, cupping lowered neck pain by about 2.42 points on a roughly 10-point scale, but that was measured against no treatment at all. A separate review of 21 dry-cupping trials found similar short-term relief for the neck and lower back. Relief arrives the same day and does not hold. It still shows at two to eight weeks in the low-back trials, then is gone by three to six months.
Two other uses rest on thinner trials. Adding cupping to usual medicine improved a standard knee-arthritis score, but those results come from low- to moderate-quality trials. For long-lasting hives, wet cupping performed about as well as antihistamine tablets, and added benefit on top of them. Cupping easily beats doing nothing, but against a dummy built to imitate the suction and marks, the gain shrinks to small and not statistically significant.
It became far more visible after the round marks showed up on Olympic swimmers on television, though the evidence stayed modest.
The Research & Studies
Everything here is based on the research we have collected and checked, sorted into groups and ordered with the strongest evidence first. Click any claim to open the studies behind it.
Pain
Face à une ventousothérapie simulée, aucun avantage net sur la douleur (DMS -0.27), bien que la ventousothérapie ait facilement surpassé l'absence de traitement
Lorsque la ventousothérapie a été testée face à une version factice conçue pour imiter la sensation, elle n'a pas été clairement meilleure que le simulacre, même si elle a facilement surpassé l'absence de traitement. Cet écart est là où se situe la partie la plus solide des preuves, et c'est la raison pour laquelle l'effet est évalué avec prudence.
La méta-analyse de 2020 (Cramer et al., Journal of Pain) a regroupé 18 ECR et 1,172 personnes souffrant de douleur chronique. Comparée à l'absence de traitement, la ventousothérapie a montré une importante réduction à court terme de l'intensité de la douleur (DMS -1.03, IC à 95 % -1.41 à -0.65) et une réduction moyenne de l'incapacité (DMS -0.66, IC à 95 % -0.99 à -0.34). Face à la ventousothérapie simulée, l'effet sur la douleur n'était pas significatif (DMS -0.27, IC à 95 % -0.58 à 0.05), et face à d'autres traitements actifs il n'était pas significatif non plus (DMS -0.24). L'écart entre l'important effet sans traitement et l'effet absent avec le simulacre correspond au schéma d'une thérapie dont le bénéfice est difficile à dissocier de l'attente et de l'attention, ce qui est aggravé par le fait qu'un simulacre convaincant pour la succion est difficile à construire. Les auteurs ont conclu que la ventousothérapie pourrait être une option mais que les preuves restent limitées par l'hétérogénéité et le risque de biais.
The study · 1
Cramer et al., Cupping for patients with chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis · J Pain 2020;21(9-10):943-956
Across 14 reviews, none of the cupping-for-pain evidence rated high quality; the best was moderate
When someone looked across all the review-level evidence on cupping for pain, the reviews themselves were mostly weak, and none of the findings reached high quality. A handful reached moderate quality; the rest were low or very low.
The 2023 evidence-mapping study (Wang et al., Front Neurol) collected 14 meta-analyzes of cupping for pain-related outcomes and rated them with AMSTAR 2: 36% critically low, 50% low, 7% moderate and 7% high. Applying GRADE to the significant outcomes, the authors found no high-quality evidence for any pain outcome. The strongest available was moderate-quality evidence for a few conditions, including two moderate-quality bodies of evidence for low back pain, two for neck pain, and three for knee osteoarthritis, with the remainder low or very low. This sets the ceiling for how confident any single cupping-for-pain claim can be: a short-term signal on evidence that has not yet reached high quality.
The study · 1
Wang et al., Efficacy of cupping therapy on pain outcomes: an evidence-mapping study · Front Neurol 2023;14:1266712
La ventousothérapie a réduit la douleur cervicale d'environ 2.42 points par rapport à l'absence de traitement sur 18 essais, sur des preuves de faible qualité
En regroupant 18 essais, la ventousothérapie a réduit la douleur cervicale comparativement à l'absence de traitement et a amélioré le fonctionnement du cou, mais les essais étaient de faible qualité et difficiles à mettre en aveugle, si bien que l'ampleur de l'effet réel est incertaine.
La revue systématique et méta-analyse de 2018 (Kim et al., BMJ Open) a interrogé neuf bases de données et regroupé 18 ECR sur la ventousothérapie pour la douleur cervicale. Comparée à un groupe sans intervention, la ventousothérapie a réduit la douleur (DM -2.42, IC à 95 % -3.98 à -0.86) et amélioré la fonction (DM -4.34, IC à 95 % -6.77 à -1.19) ; comparée à des contrôles actifs, elle a réduit la douleur (p = 0.0009) et amélioré la qualité de vie (p = 0.001) ; et en complément d'un traitement de contrôle, elle a réduit la douleur par rapport au contrôle actif seul (p = 0.001). Seulement 8 des 18 études ont rapporté des événements indésirables, qui étaient légers et temporaires. En raison de la faible qualité des essais inclus, les auteurs ont déclaré qu'une conclusion définitive ne pouvait être tirée.
The study · 1
Kim et al., Is cupping therapy effective in patients with neck pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis · BMJ Open 2018;8(11):e021070
La ventousothérapie a soulagé la lombalgie à 2-8 semaines mais le gain avait disparu à 3-6 mois, sur 11 essais
La ventousothérapie a soulagé la lombalgie durant les deux à huit premières semaines et a fait mieux que les antalgiques ou les soins habituels sur cette période, mais le bénéfice s'est estompé, sans effet net restant à un à six mois.
La revue systématique et méta-analyse de 2024 (Zhang et al., Complement Ther Med) a regroupé 11 ECR et 921 participants. La ventousothérapie a amélioré la douleur au point de mesure de 2 à 8 semaines (d = 1.09, IC à 95 % 0.35 à 1.83, p = 0.004), avec des effets plus importants par rapport aux médicaments (d = 1.8, IC à 95 % 1.22 à 2.39) et aux soins habituels (d = 1.07, IC à 95 % 0.21 à 1.93). Aucune amélioration continue ne subsistait à un mois (d = 0.11, IC à 95 % -1.02 à 1.23) ni à 3 à 6 mois (d = 0.39, IC à 95 % -0.09 à 0.87). La ventousothérapie sur les points d'acupuncture a surpassé la ventousothérapie sur la zone lombaire, et la ventousothérapie humide a surpassé la sèche, bien que la différence entre les types n'était pas significative. L'hétérogénéité était élevée tout au long (I2 supérieur à 50 %), ce que les auteurs ont signalé comme une véritable limite à la certitude de ces estimations.
Considérez la ventousothérapie pour le dos comme un soulagement à court terme dans les quelques semaines, à répéter au besoin, et associez-la aux approches qui tiennent la route sur plusieurs mois pour la lombalgie, avant tout rester actif et un renforcement progressif.
The study · 1
Zhang et al., The effectiveness of cupping therapy on low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials · Complement Ther Med 2024;80:103013
La ventousothérapie sèche a réduit la douleur cervicale chronique de 21.67 points et la lombalgie de 19.38 points sur des échelles à 100 points, sur des preuves de qualité faible à modérée
La ventousothérapie sèche, qui utilise uniquement l'aspiration sans incision de la peau, a réduit de manière notable la douleur chronique cervicale et lombaire et a assoupli les articulations raides à court terme, bien que les essais sous-jacents n'étaient que de qualité faible à modérée.
La revue systématique et méta-analyse de 2020 (Wood et al., J Bodyw Mov Ther) a évalué 21 ECR et 1,049 participants traités par ventousothérapie sèche occidentale, en évaluant la qualité avec la liste de contrôle Downs et Black et GRADE. Des preuves de faible qualité ont montré que la ventousothérapie sèche réduisait la douleur dans la douleur cervicale chronique (DM -21.67, IC à 95 % -36.55 à -6.80) et la lombalgie non spécifique (DM -19.38, IC à 95 % -28.09 à -10.66) ; des preuves de qualité modérée ont montré une amélioration de la fonction cervicale (DM -4.65, IC à 95 % -6.44 à -2.85) ; et des preuves de faible qualité ont montré une amélioration de l'amplitude de mouvement par rapport à l'absence de traitement (DMS -0.75). Les auteurs n'ont pu tirer de conclusion définitive en raison de la qualité faible à modérée et ont appelé à des essais plus vastes avec un suivi à long terme et un signalement complet des événements indésirables.
The study · 1
Wood et al., Dry cupping for musculoskeletal pain and range of motion: a systematic review and meta-analysis · J Bodyw Mov Ther 2020;24(4):503-518
Head to head, cupping matched acupuncture for pain across 23 poor-quality trials, with no reliable winner
En comparaison directe, la ventousothérapie et l'Acupuncture ont fonctionné à peu près aussi bien pour plusieurs affections douloureuses, sans vainqueur fiable, mais tous les essais étaient de mauvaise qualité et il n'y avait pas suffisamment de données pour être sûr.
The 2017 systematic review with trial sequential analysis (Zhang et al., Chinese Medicine) included 23 RCTs and 2,845 participants across 12 pain-related conditions. Meta-analyzes found similar rates of symptom improvement for cupping and acupuncture in cervical spondylosis (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.26), lateral femoral cutaneous neuritis (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.22) and scapulohumeral periarthritis (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.51), and no significant difference on visual analog or numerical rating scales for any condition. All studies were poor quality, and trial sequential analysis for cervical spondylosis showed the available data had not reached a firm conclusion. No serious adverse events from either therapy were reported.
The study · 1
Zhang et al., Cupping therapy versus acupuncture for pain-related conditions: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and trial sequential analysis · Chin Med 2017;12:21
In 80 adults, six wet-cupping sessions lowered persistent back pain (29.2 versus 57.9) more than no treatment
In one trial, drawing a small amount of blood with wet cupping lowered persistent back pain and disability more than doing nothing, and the improvement lasted about two weeks past the treatment.
The 2015 randomized controlled trial (AlBedah et al., J Altern Complement Med) allocated 80 adults with persistent non-specific low back pain to wet cupping (six sessions in two weeks at bladder-meridian points BL23 to BL25) or no treatment, with acetaminophen allowed as rescue in both arms. At the end of treatment the wet-cupping group had lower numeric pain (29.2, 95% CI 24.6 to 33.8 versus 57.9, 95% CI 53.3 to 62.6), lower present pain intensity (1.17 versus 2.3) and lower Oswestry disability (19.6 versus 35.4), all p=0.0001, with benefit persisting two weeks after the last session. Rescue acetaminophen was used less with cupping but not significantly so. No adverse events were reported. The authors noted the trial had no sham arm and called for placebo-controlled studies.
Wet cupping breaks the skin, so it belongs with a trained practitioner using sterile single-use equipment; the at-home version of cupping is dry cupping, which uses suction only.
The study · 1
AlBedah et al., The use of wet cupping for persistent nonspecific low back pain: randomized controlled clinical trial · J Altern Complement Med 2015;21(8):504-508
Joint And Arthritis Pain
Ajoutée à la médecine habituelle, la ventousothérapie a amélioré le score WOMAC du genou (douleur -1.01) mais pas une évaluation simple de la douleur, sur des preuves faibles
Pour l'arthrose du genou, l'ajout de la ventousothérapie à la médecine habituelle a amélioré un score standard d'arthrose, mais n'a pas modifié une évaluation de la douleur plus simple, et les essais étaient faibles, si bien que le dossier est mince.
La revue systématique et méta-analyse de 2017 (Li et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract) a regroupé 7 ECR sur la ventousothérapie pour l'arthrose du genou, pour la plupart de faible qualité méthodologique. La ventousothérapie sèche plus la médecine occidentale a surpassé la médecine occidentale seule sur la douleur WOMAC (DM -1.01, IC à 95 % -1.61 à -0.41), la raideur (DM -0.81, IC à 95 % -1.14 à -0.48) et la fonction physique (DM -5.53, IC à 95 % -8.58 à -2.47), toutes avec une faible hétérogénéité, mais n'a montré aucun effet significatif sur une échelle visuelle analogique (DM -0.32, IC à 95 % -0.70 à 0.05, p = 0.09). La ventousothérapie humide plus la médecine a amélioré le taux de réponse et un indice fonctionnel. Les auteurs ont conclu que seules des preuves faibles soutiennent que la ventousothérapie améliore l'efficacité et la fonction dans l'arthrose du genou.
The study · 1
Li et al., Cupping therapy for treating knee osteoarthritis: the evidence from systematic review and meta-analysis · Complement Ther Clin Pract 2017;28:152-160
Skin And Hair
For chronic hives, wet cupping roughly matched antihistamines and helped as an add-on (RR 1.18), on poor-quality trials
For long-lasting hives, wet cupping worked about as well as antihistamine tablets, and adding it on top of antihistamines helped more people and reduced relapse, but the trials were poor quality so this is an early signal.
The 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis (Xiao et al., J Integr Med) pooled 13 comparisons from 12 RCTs and 842 participants with chronic urticaria. Wet cupping did not differ significantly from medication on total effective rate (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.25) or recurrence (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.36). Cupping added to antihistamines beat antihistamines alone on effective rate (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.39) and recurrence (RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.84), and cupping added to acupuncture beat acupuncture alone (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.46). No serious adverse events were reported. The authors stressed the results should be applied with care because of the poor quality of the included studies.
The study · 1
Xiao et al., Cupping therapy for patients with chronic urticaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis · J Integr Med 2020;18(4):303-312
How it works
A review of 64 studies proposed six ways cupping might ease pain, none of them confirmed
The best current thinking is that the suction relieves pain the way rubbing a sore spot does, by firing touch nerves that dampen pain signals, and that it raises blood flow in the skin and muscle underneath. These are working ideas, not settled facts, and no single one has been proven.
The 2019 mechanistic review (Al-Bedah et al., J Tradit Complement Med) assessed 64 studies and set out six proposed mechanisms of action. Pain reduction and changes in the skin are attributed to the pain-gate theory, diffuse noxious inhibitory controls and a reflex-zone effect; muscle relaxation and increased local circulation to a nitric-oxide effect; and immunological and hormonal changes to activation of the immune system. A blood-detoxification theory is listed as one of the six but is not established. The authors state that no single theory explains the whole of cupping and that the mechanisms may overlap, and they call for further research to support or refute each one. This is proposed physiology, not evidence that cupping treats any given condition.
The study · 1
Al-Bedah et al., The medical perspective of cupping therapy: effects and mechanisms of action · J Tradit Complement Med 2019;9(2):90-97
The independent evidence map rated none of the cupping-for-pain evidence high quality, and the best reached only moderate.
How Cupping Works
Anatomy of the Practice
1What a cup does to the skin
The suction lifts the skin and the layer beneath it into the cup and holds it there, usually five to fifteen minutes. In moving cupping the cup is oiled and slid along the muscle instead. The sensation is a firm, sustained pull. The pull draws a little blood from the smallest vessels into the surrounding tissue, which is what colors the skin.
2Dry, wet and fire cupping
Dry cupping is suction only, and it leaves the skin intact. Fire cupping instead uses a brief flame to create the suction, so the cup goes on warm. Wet cupping, called hijama, makes small shallow scratches first and then draws a little blood into the cup. Dry cupping is the everyday form and the one to learn at home.
3The round marks and their color
Where the cup sat you are left with a round mark, pink to dark purple. The shade tracks how much blood the suction drew into the skin at that spot.
For pain there is a plausible mechanism that needs nothing exotic. The firm, sustained pull fires the large touch and pressure nerves in the skin and muscle. That signal dampens the slower pain signals traveling to the spinal cord and brain, the same reflex that makes you rub a sore spot. Much of the relief may also come from the touch, the attention, and expectation: itself an active driver of relief.
A review of 64 studies lays out six overlapping candidate mechanisms, none confirmed on its own. Five are physical or neural:
- a pain-gate effect
- a body-wide dampening of pain signals
- a reflex triggered from one skin zone that eases pain elsewhere
- a nitric-oxide rise that widens small vessels and lifts local blood flow
- immune activation
The classical idea that suction draws out toxins is the sixth candidate on the list, unconfirmed like the rest.
A cup that pulls the skin and leaves a mark is obvious to the person receiving it, so a cupping trial is hard to blind. A dummy that imitates the suction without treating anything is hard to build. That design gap is why the true effect of the suction stays uncertain. Until a more convincing fake version exists, we cannot separate the pull's own effect from the touch, attention, and expectation that come with it.
How To Use Cupping
Ways to Do It
Start with dry cupping. It suits short-term relief for a tight, sore neck, shoulders or lower back, repeated as needed.
A set of silicone or hand-pump cups is inexpensive and needs no flame. Place a cup on a fleshy area such as the upper back or shoulders. Draw the suction to a firm but comfortable pull. Leave it five to ten minutes. For moving cupping, oil the skin first and glide the cup slowly along the muscle. Cups seal on muscle, so work the fleshy areas and stay off bone and the front of the neck. This is the form with the most evidence behind it and the lowest risk.
A practitioner examines the sore area, places several cups, and leaves them for five to fifteen minutes while you rest, sometimes gliding them along the muscle. The pull is firm and usually eases within a minute. You leave with round marks and often a loose, worked feeling in the area.
For wet or fire cupping, a trained practitioner is the safeguard. Look for a licensed acupuncturist or Chinese medicine practitioner who uses single-use, sterile equipment for any wet cupping. A good practitioner explains what the marks are, and can tell you why they are cupping a given area.
A darker mark means more blood pooled at that spot. That is all it means. Let the marks fade on their own before re-cupping, so an area is not worked again while it is still marked.
Go Deeper
For lasting neck and back pain, the levers that hold up over the long run are staying active and progressive strengthening. Cupping is a low-risk option worth trying for short-term relief. Acupressure and self-massage and tai chi and qi gong are other self-directed practices with a long track record.
Cautions For This Practice
Extra restraintEverything to be aware of is here, in one place. This practice suits most healthy people; a few situations call for real care.
Across 22 studies the side-effect rate was very low; the round marks are ordinary bruising, serious events rare
The 2023 evidence-based review (Mohamed et al., J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil) analyzed 22 studies of cupping in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation and reported that the incidence of adverse events is very low. The expected local effect is the circular mark: suction pulls blood out of small vessels into the surrounding tissue, so the mark is a bruise, not a sign of toxins leaving the body, and it resolves over days to about two weeks. The higher-risk variants are wet cupping, which deliberately breaks the skin and so carries an infection risk if equipment is not sterile, and fire cupping, where the flame used to create suction can burn the skin. Serious complications are rare in the trial literature.Mohamed et al., Evidence-based and adverse-effects analyzes of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation: a systematic and evidence-based review
Wet cupping breaks the skin, so it carries an infection risk
Wet cupping deliberately makes small cuts before applying suction, opening a route for infection if the equipment or skin is not clean. Have it done only by a trained practitioner using sterile, single-use blades and cups, never shared or reused. The at-home form is dry cupping.
Fire cupping can burn
The reported fire-cupping injury is a skin burn, when the cup or the flame is mishandled. A skilled practitioner keeps the flame away from the skin and tests the cup temperature before it touches you. If you are new to it, the flameless silicone or pump cups avoid this risk entirely.
Blood thinners, bleeding disorders and fragile skin
Cupping raises its marks by drawing blood into the skin, so anything that makes you bruise or bleed more easily makes the marks larger and slower to clear. A blood thinner, a bleeding disorder, or thin or fragile skin (from age, long-term steroids, or poorly controlled diabetes) all make that worse. Keep the suction light, and treat wet cupping as a practitioner's call.
The marks are bruising, and where not to cup
The round marks are expected bruises, and they fade over days to about two weeks. Their color tracks how much blood pooled locally; it is not a readout of toxins or a gauge of how well the session worked. Keep cups off broken or inflamed skin, active eczema, psoriasis or sunburn, over varicose veins, and over areas of reduced sensation where you cannot judge the pull. Do not use cupping to push through pain that is new, severe or unexplained, since that kind of pain needs a diagnosis first.
Start slow, be smart, read the research, and consult a professional if you have any concerns. This is here to inform your choice, not make it for you.
Common Questions
Does cupping actually work?
For short-term pain the signal is modest but consistent. Pooled trials show cupping easing neck and low-back pain against no treatment, with relief often arriving the same day and fading over the following weeks. The catch shows up against a dummy version. There the advantage shrinks to small and loses statistical significance, and no trial has reached high quality. So it is reasonable to try for short-term relief, with the understanding that against a sham the specific effect of the suction is small.
What are the round marks, and are they toxins being pulled out?
They are bruises. The suction pulls a little blood from the smallest vessels into the surrounding skin. That is what you see, pink to dark purple by how much came out at that spot. It fades over a week or two, the same as any bruise. A darker mark means more local bruising, and nothing more; it is not a gauge of toxins leaving the body or of how much the session helped. The draws-out-toxins idea is a traditional interpretation, and modern reviews list it as one hypothesis among several, none established.
What is the difference between dry and wet cupping?
Dry cupping uses suction alone, so nothing pierces the skin; it is what people do at home. Wet cupping (hijama) makes tiny shallow cuts first, then applies suction to draw out a little blood, so it breaks the skin. Because it breaks the skin, wet cupping is a job for a trained practitioner. Fire cupping is a separate distinction, about how the suction is made, a brief flame instead of a pump, and it can be dry or wet.
Is cupping the reason the Olympic swimmers had those circles, and does it really help?
Yes, those circles were cupping marks, and they drew more attention than the evidence justified. The marks themselves are just bruises. The trial record is low to moderate quality. It points only to short-term easing of pain and offers no performance boost. Expect a low-risk way to take the edge off a sore, tight area for a while.
How often would I need it, and does the relief last?
The benefit is short-term. In the low-back trials the improvement showed at two to eight weeks and had faded by three to six months, so relief has to be repeated. A practical pattern: use it when an area is tight or sore, and space sessions so skin is not re-cupped while still marked. For the durable part, lean on the approaches that hold up over months: staying active and progressive strengthening.
Explore Related
Other pages this one connects to, by the evidence they share, the outcomes they touch, and the ground they cover.
All 11 sources on this page independently checked and cross-referenced.
Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus
Sacred Lotus has published Chinese medicine reference material since 2001. Integrative pages are held to the same standard as the herb and formula library: cite the source, grade the claim at its real strength, and say where the research has not looked. This page is educational and it is not medical advice. Last reviewed and updated August 9, 2026.
Evidence strength
How confidently the research supports a claim. Strength describes the evidence, not our endorsement.