Cupping & Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger point therapy, manual soft tissue work, and cupping at our Totowa and Nutley clinics.
Hands-On Therapy at Expert Rehabilitation Group
Some of the most effective treatment we provide is done with our hands. Patients often call it massage, and the sensation is similar — but as Doctors of Physical Therapy, Dr. Sheldon Shterengarts and Dr. Roger Avecillas deliver it as skilled manual therapy, targeted at the specific tissue limiting your movement.
- Lotion-based soft tissue mobilization. Sustained, massage-style pressure to release tight muscle and fascia, reduce guarding, and improve circulation to the area.
- Trigger point release. Sustained, focused pressure on the specific knots in a muscle that reproduce your pain, held until the tissue lets go.
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). Contoured stainless steel tools that let us find and treat restricted tissue and scar adhesions with more precision than hands alone.
- Percussive and electric tools. Mechanical percussion used to reduce tone in guarded muscle and prepare tissue before exercise.
- Cupping (myofascial decompression). Suction cups that lift and separate layers of tissue rather than compressing them.
- Joint mobilization and stretching. Restoring motion at the joint itself, not just the muscle around it.
What Is Cupping?
Most hands-on therapy pushes tissue down. Cupping does the opposite. Suction cups create negative pressure that lifts the skin and fascia away from the tissue underneath, which can decompress the area, improve local blood flow, and reduce pull on sensitive structures.
In physical therapy this is often called myofascial decompression. We use it as one part of a treatment plan, usually before movement work, so you can access range of motion that was restricted a few minutes earlier.
Cupping commonly leaves round, temporary discoloration where the cups sat. It is not a bruise from injury, and it typically fades within a few days.
What Is Trigger Point Therapy?
A trigger point is a small, hyper-irritable knot inside a taut band of muscle. Press one and it is tender locally, but it often refers pain somewhere else — which is why a knot between the shoulder blades can produce a headache, or a tight hip can be felt down the thigh. That referral pattern is what makes trigger points worth treating specifically, rather than only working the spot that hurts.
Trigger point therapy is sustained, focused pressure applied directly to those points. Patients often describe it as a deep trigger point massage, and the sensation is similar — a firm ache that eases as the tissue releases. We hold until the tone drops, then take the muscle through its range so the change carries over into movement rather than fading by the time you reach the parking lot.
We use it most often for neck and shoulder tension, headaches with a muscular component, low back and hip tightness, and the guarding that builds up around an old injury. It pairs naturally with cupping: decompress the area first, then treat the specific points that remain.
What the Evidence Supports
We would rather tell you what research actually shows than overstate it.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found that cupping produces meaningful improvement in chronic low back pain, with moderate-to-high quality evidence for both pain and disability, and sustained benefit compared with usual care. For chronic neck pain, reviews report significant pain relief and consistent gains in functional disability, range of motion, and quality of life.
The honest caveat: study designs vary widely in cup type, session length, and placement, so researchers continue to call for more standardized trials. Cupping is a useful tool within a broader plan of care, not a cure on its own.
Patients most often see us for cupping alongside:
- Chronic or recurring low back pain
- Neck pain, stiffness, and tension headaches
- Shoulder and upper back tightness from desk work or overhead activity
- Hamstring, calf, and IT band restriction in active patients
- Scar tissue and stiffness after surgery
- General muscle tightness that keeps returning after stretching
Included With Your Physical Therapy
When cupping or hands-on soft tissue work is clinically appropriate for your condition, it is included as part of your physical therapy treatment at no extra charge. It is not an upsell and not a separate line item. If it is the right tool for what you are dealing with, we use it.
That applies whether you are here through insurance, auto accident (PIP), or workers’ compensation. See our in-network plans.
Standalone Cupping Sessions — $50
Not everyone who wants cupping needs a full course of physical therapy. If you are an athlete managing training load, or you simply carry tension in your neck and back and want relief, you can book a standalone cupping session for $50, paid at the time of service.
These sessions are a self-pay recovery service and are not billed to insurance. No referral is needed and no claim is opened. You will still be seen by a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, and if we notice something that warrants a proper evaluation, we will tell you honestly rather than sell you more sessions.
To book, call or text (973) 221-5236.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cupping hurt?
Most patients describe a strong pulling or tugging sensation rather than pain. Tell us what you feel and we adjust the suction.
What does trigger point therapy feel like?
Firm, focused pressure with a deep ache that usually eases within 30 to 90 seconds. It should stay tolerable — tell us if it does not and we adjust.
How long do the marks last?
Usually a few days, sometimes up to a week.
Is it safe?
For most people, yes. We screen first, and we avoid cupping over broken skin, active infection, blood clots, and certain other conditions. Tell us if you take blood thinners.
Do I need a referral?
No. Under New Jersey’s Direct Access law we can evaluate and treat you without a prescription, and no referral is needed for a self-pay cupping session.
Can I exercise afterward?
Yes, and we usually want you to. Movement after tissue work is what makes the change stick.
Book a Session
Call or text (973) 221-5236 to ask whether cupping is right for what you are dealing with, or to book a $50 session. Totowa and Nutley, New Jersey.