Ventosaterapia: benefits, how to do and contraindications

Vacuum therapy is a type of natural treatment in which suction cups are used to improve blood circulation in a location on the body. For this, the suction cups create a vacuum effect, which sucks the skin, resulting in an increase in the diameter of the blood vessels at the exact location. As a result, there is a greater oxygenation of these tissues, allowing the release of toxins from the blood and muscle more easily.

Thus, this treatment is often used in the treatment of cellulite, as increased blood circulation can reduce the appearance of the orange skin peel. In addition, ventosatherapia is also widely used as a natural way to combat muscle pain, since the pressure difference caused by the vacuum dislocates the muscle skin and increases the amount of blood, having a relaxing action.

Check out other natural ways to relieve muscle pain.

Main benefits

Suction cups treatment can be indicated to eliminate back pain caused by muscle tension or contractures, swelling in the arms, legs or feet, joint pain, and it is also a good complement in the treatment of cellulite.

This is because its main benefits include:

Increased local blood circulation; Elimination of muscle contractures and trigger points; Strengthens blood vessels; Increase the production of synovial fluid within the joints; Relax and calm the body and mind.

The most suitable therapists for the treatment with suction cups are those trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the acupuncturist and the physiotherapist who specializes in acupuncture or who has knowledge of this type of technique.

This treatment is also widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, being often associated with acupuncture, to treat various health disorders in order to reenergize the meridians through which the vital energy Ki passes. See the health benefits of acupuncture.

How to do wind therapy

For the treatment with suction cups, leave the area to be treated uncovered and apply a moisturizing oil or cream to the skin, to allow the suction cups to slide through the skin.

Then, the suction cups must be placed in the treatment area. The 3 most common ways to apply the suction cups to the body are with:

Silicone cup: just press the silicone cup with your fingers and then put on the skin, due to the vacuum that forms inside the skin is sucked and the suction cup is stuck; Glass cup: light a candle and place the flame inside the cup and then place the cup on the skin. The vacuum is formed when the oxygen inside the glass is consumed by the candle and, therefore, if applied quickly to the skin, it sucks it; Electronic suction cup: just position the suction cups in the place you want to treat and then connect the device to the vacuum force you want to use. Gradually the skin is being sucked and the suction cup gets stuck in the skin.

You can also use the suction cups associated with other techniques such as acupuncture needles inside each suction cup, medicinal plants, with bleed or water, for example.

How long to apply

The duration varies between 5 and 15 minutes and isolated sessions can be performed to fight back pain, or up to 8 sessions performed once a week for 8 consecutive weeks.

When the suction cup is placed under high pressure or is left standing for a long time, blood bubbles may appear in the area and if this happens, the treatment should be stopped immediately.

Contraindications of ventosatherapia

Although it is relatively safe, treatment with ventosatherapia has some contraindications and, therefore, should not be applied to people who have:

Thrombosis, thrombophlebitis or hemorrhagic disorders; Varicose veins; Wounds; Fever; Fracture at the site to be treated.

In addition, treatment with suction cups should also be avoided during pregnancy, especially if there is no medical supervision.

Some situations that are not absolute contraindications but that need more attention when using this type of treatment are: people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, right after exercising and its application in areas that do not have a good muscle layer, with more prominent bony extremities.

How is the treatment and what can happen next

The treatment can be done with the person lying on a stretcher where 1, 2 or several suction cups are placed in the place to be treated. The suction cups can be placed only on top of a contracture in the back or they can slide through all the muscles of the back.

As ventosatherapia can favor flaccidity, this treatment should not be done exclusively to eliminate cellulite nodules, but should be used in a protocol that involves the use of firming creams and devices such as radio frequency, for example. Understand how radiofrequency acts against cellulite.

If wind therapy is performed during the menstrual period, after treatment, the woman's menstruation may become more intense than usual, purplish marks may appear in the treated places and the urine may be a little darker than usual.

How to decrease pain and purple marks on the suction cup

When a large amount of vacuum is used, the treatment site can remain sore for about 5 days, but it can be observed that the person will have purple marks on the body, because in the first minutes of application of the suction cup, one can observe the redness and purplish color that appears.

So, to prevent this from happening, what you can do is reduce the pressure of each suction cup and not let it stand in one place. A good strategy so that the skin is not marked or painful is to use little pressure inside the suction cup and apply oil to the skin and move the suction cup constantly around the area to be treated.

Taking a warm bath and massaging the area that was treated with rosehip oil is an excellent home treatment to avoid pain and purple marks on the skin after treatment.