The Effect of Wet Cupping Therapy on Recovery in Athletes

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of wet cupping therapy (WCT) on post-exercise recovery in active athletes. A total of 11 healthy and active athletes, with a mean age of 21.4 ± 1.77 years, an average height of 1.77 ± 0.1 m, a mean body weight of 75.4 ± 5.65 kg, and an average training experience of 10.6 ± 2.35 years, voluntarily participated in the study. Initially, the participants' resting heart rate and blood lactate levels were measured, followed by the Yoyo-1 test conducted until exhaustion. During the first measurement, heart rate and blood lactate levels were recorded post-exercise recovery at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, and 30 minutes. In the second measurement, the same test protocol was applied; however, this time, WCT was administered post-exercise recovery, and the same measurements were repeated at identical intervals. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and groups were compared using the Paired-Samples T-Test, with a significance level set at p<0.05. The results indicated that WCT had a significant effect on reducing blood lactate levels and heart rate after exercise. These findings suggest that WCT may be an effective method for enhancing recovery.