Cupping therapy fails to beat sham for back pain relief
NCT ID NCT06193603
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether dry cupping therapy, combined with routine physiotherapy, helps people with chronic non-specific low back pain more than a sham (fake) cupping treatment. Forty-eight adults with pain lasting at least 3 months took part. The results showed that real cupping did not provide extra benefits for pain, function, or quality of life compared to the sham procedure.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dry cupping therapy
- What this could lead to
- If effective, cupping therapy could offer a non-drug option to help ease chronic low back pain when added to standard physiotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial that found cupping therapy did not improve pain or function more than a sham procedure. The results suggest it may not provide real benefit beyond placebo.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
48 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Oct 2024
- Finished
-
Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 59 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Chronic non-specific low back pain lasting for a minimum of 3 months. * The pain intensity is rated between 3 and 6 on the visual analog scale. * The body mass index falls between 19 and 23. * No restrictions for therapeutic exercise and electrotherapy. Exclusion Criteria: * The presence of comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems. * The presence of spinal column deviations, such as scoliosis, is observed. * Signs of serious pathology of the spine (eg, fractures, inflammatory diseases, infection or tumours). * Consecutive absence of more than three sessions. * Patients' dissatisfaction with their participation in the study * Individuals who have been treated with cupping in the past. * Neurological, vestibular, visual or auditory deficits. * Currently performing physical therapy. * Irradiated lumbar or sacroiliac pain. * Fibromyalgia
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Chronic low-back pain are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Iran University of Medical Sciences
Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can naming your feelings predict back pain relief?
- Radiofrequency device tested as Add-On for stubborn back pain
- Back muscles hold clues for treating recurrent low back pain
- Skip the GP? physiotherapy first for back pain put to the test
- Scientists map the daily rhythms of chronic pain
- Can yoga ease back pain when recovery looks unlikely?