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The Effects of Cupping on Hamstring Flexibility in College Soccer Players.

Context: College soccer players suffer from hamstring injuries due to inflexibility and repetitive motions involving intense hamstring lengthening and contraction during sport. Although it is a popular intervention for muscular injury, there exists limited evidence of the effects of therapeutic cupping on hamstring flexibility. Objective: To determine the effect of cupping therapy on hamstring flexibility in college soccer players. Design: Cohort design. Setting: Athletic training clinic. Patients: A total of 25, asymptomatic, National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III soccer players (10 males and 15 females; age = 19.4 [1.30] y, height = 175.1 [8.2] cm, and mass = 69.5 [6.6] kg). Intervention(s): A 7-minute therapeutic cupping treatment was delivered to the treatment group. Four 2-in cups were fixed atop trigger point locations within the hamstring muscle bellies of participants' dominant legs. Control group participants received no intervention between pretest and posttest measurements. Main Outcome Measures: Pretest and posttest measurements of hamstring flexibility, using a passive straight leg raise, were performed on both groups. Passive straight leg raise measurements were conducted by blinded examiners using a digital inclinometer. An independent samples t test was used to analyze changes in hamstring flexibility from pretreatment to posttreatment with P values set a priori at .05. Results: An independent samples t test demonstrated no significant difference in change in hamstring flexibility between participants in the treatment group and those in the control group (t23 = -.961, P = .35). Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated no statistically significant changes in hamstring flexibility following a cupping treatment.