- Some Olympic athletes, especially swimmers, have appeared with huge bruises.
- Italian Nicolo Martinenghi follows in Michael Phelps’ footsteps with them
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Keep your eyes on the Olympic pool and you might see some bruises on the athletes’ backs and arms.
The images were vividly reflected on the arm and back of Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi as he leapt to gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, 0.02 seconds faster than Adam Peaty.
One might be forgiven for having some concern for athletes, but it comes from a recent tradition that can be explained innocuously.
The spots are the result of an ancient pseudoscientific practice called cupping therapy, which gained popularity among swimmers at the recent Olympics.
Suction is applied to round areas of the skin using heated cups with the goal of increasing blood flow, relieving muscle pain, and softening scar tissue.
Some athletes have dark spots on their skin due to a pseudoscientific practice called cupping.
Michael Phelps was a fan of cupping therapy and won five gold medals at Rio 2016 after practicing it.
The practice gained particular attention in 2016 when Michael Phelps was spotted with a mosaic of discolored circles on his skin.
As it is particularly common in Asia, eastern athletes such as Wang Qun of China have been practicing it since at least 2008.
With roots in ancient Egyptian and Chinese medicine, clinical studies have produced conflicting results on the effectiveness of cupping.
It can also cause multiple side effects beyond bruising, such as infections.
However, it is generally considered a safe practice.
Numerous athletes have trusted him.
“It’s better than any money I’ve ever spent on anything else,” said former Olympic gymnast Alexander Naddour. USA Today.
The benefits of this pseudoscientific practice have been debated, and some athletes defend it.
Meanwhile, former NBA basketball player Kyle Singler said Sports Illustrated‘The bruises look more intense than they actually feel, but the benefit is really great.
“I did some acupuncture and after a month I really enjoyed it and saw the benefits. Our trainers had the cupping available so I tried it once and really liked it.”