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Real reason why Olympic athletes have dark red circles on their backs

Home> News> Sport

Published 12:06 30 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Real reason why Olympic athletes have dark red circles on their backs

Some Olympians, swimmers in particular, have been spotted with large circular bruises on their bodies

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

This year's Olympics are now in full swing and it's all eyes on the athletes.

From archery and shooting to athletics and gymnastics, there's all kind of sports taking place across Paris, France, at the moment.

One fan-favorite sport to watch is the swimming, and this year there's a whopping 854 athletes from 187 different countries competing.

But there's a common theme you might have spotted with some of the swimmers and that's the unusual dark red circles they have on their backs.

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Swimmer pictured at Tokyo 2020 with circular bruising. (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Swimmer pictured at Tokyo 2020 with circular bruising. (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

While it might look like they've had a fight with an octopus and lost, there's a very different reason for the odd markings.

It turns out that the large spots are from cupping therapy - an ancient healing technique that involves placing cups on the skin to create suction and increase blood flow to the area.

The unconventional method is supposed to help with muscle recovery and is used as a type of deep tissue massage.

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Some athletes were spotted with cupping therapy bruises back at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and it's still seemingly popular now.

Michael Phelps seen with cupping therapy bruises on his shoulders. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Michael Phelps seen with cupping therapy bruises on his shoulders. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Gymnast Alexander Naddour told USA Today back in 2016 that cupping was supposedly the 'secret' to his health.

He added: "It's been better than any money I've spent on anything else."

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Away from the Games, basketball player Kyle Singler has also praised cupping therapy.

"The bruises do look more intense than what they actually feel like, but the benefit from it is really great," he previously insisted.

Singler continued to tell Sports Illustrated: "You're not necessarily getting the immediate response that you might want but over time it does help with recovery and loosening tissue and stuff like that."

But does cupping therapy actually work according to experts? It's seems as if the jury's still out.

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Experts are still unsure of the full benefits of cupping therapy. (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Experts are still unsure of the full benefits of cupping therapy. (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

According to Harvard Health, some studies have found that cupping might provide some relief for a number of musculoskeletal and sports-related conditions. The quality of this evidence was 'limited', however.

Elsewhere a 2022 review found that wet (as opposed to dry cupping) was effective for lower back pain.

While the bruises people get from cupping are pretty gnarly, the therapy is generally seen as safe to practice - even if people aren't 100 percent on how affective it is.

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"Most experts agree that cupping is safe. As long as those treated don't mind the circular discolorations (which fade over a number of days or weeks), side effects tend to be limited to the pinch experienced during skin suction," Harvard Health explains.

"It's quite unusual that cupping causes any serious problems (though, rarely, skin infections have been reported)."

There you have it, folks.

Team USA's current medal count - 20

Gold medalists

  • Lee Kiefer: Fencing - Women's individual foil
  • Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
  • Jack Alexj, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Matt King: Swimming - Men's 4x100m freestyle

Silver medalists

  • Nic Fink: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
  • Lauren Scruggs: Fencing - Women's individual foil
  • Gretchen Walsh: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
  • Haley Batten: Mountain Bike - Women's cross country
  • Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh. Torri Huske, Simone Manuel, Erika Connolly, Abbey Weitzel: Swimming - Women's 4x100m freestyle
  • Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook: Diving - Women's springboard 3m synchronised
  • Katie Grimes: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
  • Jagger Eaton: Skateboarding - Men's street

Bronze medalists

  • Carson Foster: Swimming - Men's 400m individual medley
  • Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle
  • Chloe Dygert: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
  • Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Paul Juda, Asher Hong: Artistic Gymnastics - Men's team competition
  • Nick Itkin: Fencing - Men's foil individual
  • Emma Weyant: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
  • Ryan Murphy: Swimming - Men's 100m backstroke
  • Luke Hobson: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
  • Nyjah Huston: Skateboarding - Men's street
Featured Image Credit: An Lingjun/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images

Topics: Olympics, Fitness, Health, News, Sport

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

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@niamhshackleton

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