“That’s probably my best 200 fly of the year”, Phelps said in NBC’s interview immediately after the race. “But I haven’t had a bruise like this for a while”.
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“I was standing on the block while Caeleb (Dressel) was coming in and I honestly thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest”.
The technique dates back thousands of years in Chinese and other cultures, according to Dr. Charles Kim, a musculoskeletal rehabilitation and rehab medicine specialist at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation Center. “I was thinking 1:57 would be good this morning, but I saw a couple of 55s and wanted to be somewhere at the front of the heat”.
Traditionally, cupping involves wiping the skin with something flammable like alcohol, and then lighting a match in an inverted small cup to build up heat. The main sensation is one of tightness, pressure and warmth where the cup is placed-slightly uncomfortable, but not painful.
Michael Phelps (center) carries the USA flag during the Olympics’ opening ceremonies in Rio.
That’s the difference between being a great swimmer at age 19 and being a great swimmer at 31, as Phelps is. They brought with them their physical therapists and their own recovery methods, which included cupping (they did it the semi-old fashioned way with bamboo shoots, alcohol and lighters).
“That’s been the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy”, Naddour told USA Today.
“I think I had a pound of pasta and spaghetti”, he said.
Practitioners claim cupping helps with a huge variety of ailments, including muscle problems, pain relief, arthritis, insomnia, fertility issues, and cellulite. That allows muscles can move more freely and easily.
“The more problematic the condition is, the more bruising will occur”, Mitchell said.
“Cupping doesn’t make any sense at all”, David Colquhoun, a professor of pharmacology at University College London told The Daily Mail, “Putting a suction cup on the body may cause the skin to constrict and there could be some increased blood flow, but the idea that this could treat any medical condition is laughable”.
They weren’t the result of a tattooing misadventure or a secret symbol known only to members of the swim team. “[We wouldn’t] start trying it on them at the Olympics”.
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“Cupping is like massage in reverse – instead of pushing down on tissue”, you’re pulling up, he said, noting that he is a fan of the technique and has used it himself to help relax sore muscles. “It depends on the reaction of the body and the condition that we’re treating”, Mitchell said. Even if it does leave a mark.
