Cupping is a technique where a vacuum is created in a cup, drawing the skin and subcutaneous superficial fascia up into the cup. The use of cupping originated as early as 3000 B.C.E in a pre-scientific era and much of the reasoning once used to explain the effects do not make sense in the light of what we know today. In terms of clinical response to cupping, outcomes may be attributed to specific effects (affective touch, mechanical factors, and neurological factors), contextual effects (patient-therapist relationship, set and setting), and non-specific effects (natural history, regression to the mean).

The concept of sore spots that can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes have been independently discovered and used as a treatment for musculoskeletal pain by different cultures throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. One of the oldest examples on record is a 5,300 year old naturally preserved human body discovered in the Tyrolean Alps of Austria called Otzi “The Iceman”.

Dupuytren's disease (also known as Dupuytren's contracture) is a progressive fibroproliferative disorder of the hand that eventually can cause contractures of the affected fingers. Typical presentation is a gradual onset in males over 50 years of age. At first people may not notice the development of changes in their palms, the condition may even go dormant, but if the palmar fascia begins to thicken and contractions develop, the condition is recognizable - this is the ideal time to seek help from massage therapy.

Lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET), also known as Tennis elbow is described as pain at the outside of the elbow and in the upper forearm where the muscle tendon attaches to the bone. Medial elbow tendinopathy (MET), also known as Golfer's elbow is described as pain at the inside of the elbow and in the upper forearm where the muscle tendon attaches to the bone. It is important to keep in mind that the presentation of pain in a tendon does not always mean that the tendon itself is the primary contributor to pain. Other conditions involving the elbow could co-exists with common forms of elbow pain including arthritis, sports injuries, and nerve entrapments.