Efficacy of Wet Cupping (Ḥijāma-Bil-Shart) in the Management of Cervical Spondylosis: A Case Series Study

Abstract The present study was conducted on wet cupping to evaluate its efficacy in the management of cervical spondylosis. Wet cupping therapy is one of the earliest recognized therapies in medical practices. Neck pain is one of the leading causes of musculoskeletal disorders having a prevalence and incidence rate of 3551.1 and 806.6 per 100,000 in 2017 globally and 27.0 per 1000 population in 2019 in India. The case series aims to show how wet cupping helps in cervical spondylosis by reducing pain in the neck region. Five patients who complained of neck pain were included to receive six sitting of wet cupping. Two large-sized cups (6.5 cm) and one small-sized cup (5.5 cm) were applied on the cervical region once every 7 days for 42 days. The visual analog scale was used to statistically evaluate the patient at baseline, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days, 35 days, and 42 days. After the intervention, all patients showed statistically significant improvements (P ≤ 0.001) by using the Friedman test. Wet cupping therapy seems easy, comparatively safer, and economical treatment to minimizing and relieving neck pain in cervical spondylosis.