A critical appraisal of "Effect of cupping therapy on range of motion, pain threshold, and muscle activity of the hamstring muscle compared to passive stretching"

Rehabilitation and recovery are some of the most important things following an injury or surgery. Proper recovery can come in a variety of forms and this critical appraisal assesses the quality and effectiveness of cupping therapy in regards to improved increase range of motion, decreased pain, and increased muscular activity compared to the traditional approach of passive stretching. The article titled "Effect of Cupping Therapy on Range of Motion, Pain Threshold, and Muscle Activity of the Hamstring Muscle Compared to Passive Stretching"� was appraised for its introduction, methods, results, and discussion and proved to be a valid and reliable source. The introduction discusses the background and importance of this critical appraisal and presents an important clinical question of whether or not cupping therapy helps to increase range of motion and decrease pain in patients with chronic joint or muscle pain. The methods reviews the search process, limitations, with inclusions/exclusions used in finding the article. The results of the appraisal examine the strengths and weaknesses found throughout the article for each of the articles sections. Although this article did have weaknesses throughout, overall it had more strengths and proved to be a trustworthy and credible source showing that cupping therapy is a smart alternative to passive stretching for rehabilitation purposes, especially for those who may not be able to passively stretch due to particular circumstances.