63-year-old Li Lin from Chengdu, China, was hoping to improve the condition of his frozen shoulder, a condition that causes stiffness and pain in the shoulder and makes movement difficult. He was told to seek out cupping therapy.
In this treatment, heated cups – of glass, bamboo, or clay – are placed on the patient’s back to create a suction effect that helps promote blood blow, encouraging the body to heal naturally.
Li went in every day for a month, having the cups be placed on the same parts of his back each time.
During the last ten days of the month, however, Li began to develop large blisters on his back in the exact same places the cups had been placed. He chose not to discontinue the therapy though and simply asked his wife to pop the blisters each day before rubbing his back with oil.
A few days ago, as Li was going back home after a session of treatment, he began to feel unwell and developed a high fever. His family rushed him to the hospital, where they discovered that his entire back was swollen.
Li had developed a bacterial infection and sought medical attention at just the right time. If he had waited any longer, he would have developed sepsis.
Thankfully, the doctors were able to tend to Li’s wounds and cautioned him about cupping therapy. The cups should never be placed in the same position on the back each time. Doing so increases the chance a patient will develop burns and infections.
Now, Li’s condition is stable and he is well on the road to recovery.
