Cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice that involves placing cups on the skin to create suction. This practice dates back over 2,000 years but has received recent attention in the media due to its use by world-class athletes for injury relief. The cups used in cupping are typically made of bamboo, glass, earthenware, silicon or plastic. 

Proponents of cupping believe that the effect of suction on the skin helps increase blood flow and promotes healing; however, the way in which cupping may have an effect on the body is unclear. There is some evidence suggesting that any therapeutic benefit from cupping may be the result of a placebo effect, but a 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis in the journal PLoS One concluded that cupping could be effective in treating the pain and disability associated with chronic neck pain and chronic low-back pain in the short term.