23 Sep Cupping and Electrotherapy in Physiotherapy: What the Evidence Supports
Two of the most frequently asked about physiotherapy modalities are also two of the most visually distinctive. Cupping leaves the circular marks that many people associate with elite athletes and traditional medicine practitioners. Electrotherapy delivers current through the skin in ways that produce muscle contractions, tingling, or localised warmth depending on the type used. Both are offered by physiotherapy clinics with increasing frequency, and both generate reasonable questions from patients about what they are actually doing, what conditions they help with, and what the research says about their efficacy. According to a systematic review published in the National Library of Medicine, the evidence base for adjunct physiotherapy modalities including cupping and electrotherapy is real but nuanced, and their appropriate role depends heavily on the individual clinical picture and how they are integrated with active treatment components such as exercise and manual therapy.
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Clubfoot