Why Battle Balm is the Best Cupping Medium For Athletes

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Cupping Therapy in Sports
• The Cupping Medium of Athletes
• How to Use Battle Balm for Cupping Therapy
• Conclusion
• References

Introduction

When it comes to athletes, anything that provides an advantage in performing, healing, or recovering, is highly valued. A competitive career in sports requires an athlete to seek out various therapies and test them for effectiveness. One therapy that has recently garnered attention among athletes is cupping therapy⁽¹⁾, or as Western PT's like to call it, myofascial decompression.

Cupping therapy goes by a whole list of terms, such as: cup therapy, suction cup therapy, orthopedic cupping therapy, vacuum cupping, Hijama cupping, horn treatment, myofascial decompression, pulling up jars, and others. There are also styles of cupping, such as: dry cupping, wet cupping, fire cupping, fixed cupping, sliding cupping, flash cupping, etc. However you wish to call it, cupping is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries for various ailments, and in particular, for musculoskeletal pain.

Cupping Therapy in Sports

Cupping therapy continues to find favor in the professional sports world and there's good reason why. Though there are the unfortunate skeptics of cupping therapy, it cannot be denied (especially by anyone who understands fluid and fluid dynamics) that cupping does at least 2 things: A) Applies a negative pressure to the semi-permeable membrane that is skin, and B) forces fluids (blood and lymph) to move in the direction of the externally applied negative pressure. This is precisely why one can sometimes see bruising, bleeding, or pus drainage that can occur at the site of the applied cup(s). Belief in the therapeutic value of cupping is completely separate from the actual fact that cupping therapy provides a definite, clear external stimulus to the body.

The Cupping Medium of Athletes

Now that we got the skepticism out of the way...let's move on. Cupping is the application of cups to the body. In between the cups and the skin, there is usually an oil, balm, liniment, gel, or cream, that is used to help seal the cup to the skin. This oil, balm, etc., is called the medium.

For some therapists, the medium is only for the cups to prevent air from escaping the cup. But, for others, the medium is part of the therapeutic treatment. Let's see why Battle Balm enhances cupping therapy for athletes:

1. Powerful Pain Relief

• Let's not miss the major reason why athletes get cupping treatments. Most athletes that receive cupping therapy want to loosen up chronically tight, painful muscles. Battle Balm is the ultimate all natural & organic topical pain reliever, so why not double the effectiveness of the treatment?

2. Hypoallergenic Base For Various Skin Types

• Athletes often have sensitive or compromised skin due to frequent sweating, physical contact abrasion, and weather exposure. Cupping treatments will cause some minor skin irritation and damage. Battle Balm's amazing consistency comes from the organic beeswax and organic jojoba oil blend. And, both of these main ingredients are hypoallergenic. No athlete wants to use products that irritate the skinSince cupping opens the pores, Battle Balm can reduce the risk of irritation or allergic reactions during cupping treatment.

3. Anti-Inflammatory Formula

• Cupping sometimes produces localized swelling that can last for days. Since reducing inflammation is part of the Battle Balm formulation, using Battle Balm can remove the cupping marks and swelling more quickly. Not only does Battle Balm contain vitamin E and fatty acids, herbal ingredients such as arnica and menthol soothe inflammation and reduce redness. 

4. Skin Strengthening and Support

• The all natural and organic ingredients of Battle Balm contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that support skin at the cellular level. Athletes who play contact sports understands the value of skin integrity. Using Battle Balm during a cupping treatment will nourish the skin and protect skin function.

5. Antimicrobial & Antifungal

• Every athlete understands that gym germs are awful. A staph infection can keep an athlete off the playing field. In worse cases, skin microbes can become life-threatening. Any extra protection, especially for contact sports athletes, is hugely beneficial. Note that Battle Balm has been independently clinically tested per USP51 specifications to kill staph, strep, candida, E. coli, and Aspergillus N.

How to Use Battle Balm For Cupping Therapy

Battle Balm is a less messy and more pleasant experience for the therapist and the athlete in a cupping therapy session. Just apply a thin layer of Battle Balm to the area that will be treated. If performing sliding cup therapy, make sure the balm covers the entire area to be cupped. For hairy or dry skin, the practitioner may need to apply a second layer of Battle Balm to the treated area before cupping. After treatment, wipe any excess Battle Balm off of the skin using a slightly damp cloth or towel.

Conclusion

Cupping therapy has an extensive history of use in many different cultures around the world for a wide variety of ailments. Athletes, though, have focused the use of cupping therapy for addressing musculoskeletal pain and sports injury. The therapy continues today as a potential pain management modality for everyone, not just athletes.

Battle Balm was created as a versatile topical pain management tool for use in many natural medicine modalities, cupping therapy included. Battle Balm has enough glide and stiction to perform stationary cupping therapy and sliding cup therapy. The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants of Battle Balm also help support skin health. In addition, Battle Balm can be used in fire cupping as a skin protectant. The nutrients in Battle Balm are also very beneficial to the skin as a burn cream in the unfortunate case of first degree burn or second degree burn from fire cupping accidents. 

For use on most athletes, our recommendation would be Battle Balm Extra Strength as it is our most versatile for both chronic and acute pain conditions.

For the most stubborn pain conditions, our recommendation would be to use the strongest version we offer, Battle Balm Demon Strength. 

Use Battle Balm Original Strength in normal cupping treatments or for those with thin, sensitive skin.

References

1. Cupping Therapy - Cleveland Clinic

2. Olympic Cupping with Battle Balm

3. Antimicrobial Effectiveness Testing - USP 51 Overview

4. Hijama cupping - PubMed. NIH. National Library of Medicine