167: Cupping & the Nervous System (with Joi Edwards)

About this episode

Dr. Joi Edwards discusses cupping therapy and its effects on the nervous system and tissue mechanics.

🎙Dr. Joi Edwards is a physical therapist with nearly 20 years of experience specializing in orthopedic injuries and a licensed massage therapist who bridges the gap between clinical assessment and intuitive soft-tissue work. She joins Whitney on The Thinking Practitioner to dive deep into the world of cupping therapy—exploring the physiological mechanisms, the various types of tools, and why this ancient modality is about much more than just leaving red marks on the skin. Joi’s fascination with cupping began in the clinic when she discovered the modality "pre-Michael Phelps" and noticed an immediate 15-degree increase in her own shoulder's range of motion after experimenting with the cups. Her journey was further shaped by international patients who shared how their families had used cupping for generations to treat everything from systemic colds to localized chronic pain. This episode is an exploration of how decompression—rather than the compression typically associated with massage—can restore tissue mechanics and stimulate a nervous system response that even the most skilled manual techniques sometimes can't replicate. ✨ Topics discussed include: Whitney and Joi walk through…

People in this episode

Hosts: Til Luchau, Whitney Lowe

Guest: Dr. Joi Edwards

Topics covered

• cupping therapy
• nervous system
• tissue decompression
• physical therapy
• massage therapy
• clinical practice

Keywords

• cupping
• nervous system
• physical therapy
• massage therapy
• tissue mechanics
• decompression
• orthopedic injuries

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Thinking Practitioner

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