Cupping Therapy in Cottleville & O'Fallon, MO
Cupping and muscle scraping for the tight, stuck tissue that foam rolling stopped reaching, used as part of a plan rather than sold as a cure.
Most people searching for cupping near them want one of two things: relief for a neck and upper back that have been tight for months, or faster recovery for legs that take a beating from running, lifting or a weekend of soccer. Cupping helps with both, modestly and best alongside other care. For the long version of what the cups do and what the research shows, read our journal piece does cupping therapy work?; this page covers what we use it for and how it works here.
What cupping and scraping are used for
Cupping uses suction cups to lift skin and the tissue beneath it, the opposite of pressing on it. Scraping, also called instrument-assisted soft tissue work or the Graston technique, uses a smooth-edged tool glided along the muscle. We reach for them most often for:
- Desk neck and upper back. Tight upper traps and the band between the shoulder blades that never quite lets go. See why muscle knots keep coming back.
- Runner and lifter recovery. Calves, hamstrings, glutes and the outer hip in the days after a hard effort.
- Muscular low-back tension. When the exam points to the muscles rather than a disc or nerve.
- Stubborn tendon and fascia problems. Scraping alongside loading exercise for elbows, heels and the IT band. Scraping is also called the Graston technique or IASTM.
The cups lift tissue that posture and gravity spend all day pressing down. That is why they reach tightness that pressing on it never did, and why they work best before you move, not instead of moving.
How cupping works at The Spine Studio
Every plan starts with a 40-minute assessment so we know whether the tissue is the problem or a symptom of something else, like a pinched nerve or a joint that is not moving. When cupping fits, Dr. Andersen uses it within your follow-up visit together with the adjustment, Pin & Stretch and corrective exercise. It is not a separate session and not a separate charge: Cupping & Scraping is included in the $60 follow-up.
Expect a strong pulling sensation rather than pain, a few minutes per area, and round marks that usually fade in three to ten days. If you have photos or an event coming up, tell us and we will work around the visible areas.
We do not cup or scrape over broken skin, a fresh hot and swollen injury, varicose veins or a possible blood clot, and we adjust or skip it if you take blood thinners, bruise easily or are pregnant. A calf that is swollen, warm and red without an injury needs a physician first, not soft tissue work.
Serving O'Fallon, St. Peters & St. Charles County
We're at 5285 State Route N, Suite 102, Cottleville, MO 63304, a short drive from O'Fallon and St. Peters, with free parking and a ground-floor entrance. Flat cash-based pricing and no insurance visit caps. See hours, parking and directions →
Problems cupping is used for
- Neck pain & tech neck The stiff, sore neck that builds over a desk day, a commute or a phone scroll — what's usually going on, and what changes it.
- Sports & running injuries The ache that shows up in the third mile, the last set or the second game — overuse injuries, and how to keep training while they settle.
Before you book
- 40 minutes
- History, a movement and posture screen, an exam, and hands-on treatment the same visit.
- $149 flat
- Cash-based with posted prices. HSA and FSA cards accepted; insurance isn't billed directly.
- No referral
- Book online or call 636.378.0969. Same-week appointments are usually available.
Find out whether cupping fits what you are dealing with.