College Blog
The history of cupping as a treatment for various ailments stretches back thousands of years to ancient times. Over the centuries, cupping techniques and styles have evolved, influenced by their geographic location, as well as available materials. Cattle horns, bronze cups and bamboo have all been used at various times and places in history.
Today, practitioners typically use plastic, silicon or glass cups with a vacuum seal to influence the myofascial tissue physiology.
If you plan to use cupping in your practice, it’s important to keep the following guidelines in mind to ensure all treatments are evidence-informed and within your scope of practice.
Permitted Cupping Techniques in Ontario
In Ontario physiotherapists should only use techniques such as dry cupping and oil cupping.
- Dry cupping: Cups are applied to skin using suction.
- Oil cupping: Oil or lotion is applied to skin before applying the suction cup, allowing it to move along the tissue.
Physiotherapists must be sure these techniques are used within their scope of practice.
The treatment must safely and competently address the physiotherapy diagnosis and treatment goals that have been set for the patient.
Prohibited Techniques: Wet Cupping and Bloodletting
Techniques that involve bloodletting and the use of a scalpel to pierce the skin (such as Hijama or wet cupping) are not within the scope of practice of a physiotherapist and should not be performed.
Evidence-Informed Practice
As a reminder, physiotherapists are expected to engage in Evidence-Informed Practice.
This standard requires a physiotherapist to:
- Critically appraise evidence relevant to the practice setting, population served, and available assessment and treatment options before integrating evidence into practice.
- Incorporate critically appraised physiotherapy-related evidence into assessment and treatment plans.
- Integrate critical thinking and professional judgment into patient-centered care, evaluating their practice in terms of patient outcomes, and modifying approaches based on this self-reflective process.
- Not promote information, treatment options or products that are not grounded in scientific and physiologically plausible evidence.
Scope of Practice
The scope of physiotherapy practice is defined by the Physiotherapy Act as:
- The assessment of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems,
- The diagnosis of diseases or disorders associated with physical dysfunction, injury, or pain, and
- The treatment, rehabilitation and prevention or relief of physical dysfunction, injury, or pain to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment physical function and promote mobility.
Still Have Questions?
If you are unsure whether you are practising within your scope of practice or meeting the requirements of the Evidence-Informed Practice Standard, please call a Practice Advisor at 1-800-583-5885 ext. 241 or email advice@collegept.org.
It’s free and confidential.
Physiotherapy Scope of Practice
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