The Effect of Dry Cupping Therapy and Creatine Supplementation on Lactic Acid, Lactate Dehydrogenase and Creatine Kinase in Plasma Following Wingate Anaerobic Test in Male Handball Players

Optimum recovery can prevent the athlete's functional capacity from falling between training sessions or competitions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dry cupping therapy and creatine supplementation on lactic acid, lactate dehydrogenase and plasma creatine kinase following the Wingate anaerobic test in male handball players.

In this quasi-experimental study, 12 young male handball players in 4 stages with different interventions. Including groups: control, cupping, creatine and cupping with creatine were tested were tested in the laboratory of Qazvin International University. After obtaining written informed consent, in all groups, blood pressure and heart rate and body composition were measured before and after the Wingate test. The Wingate test was then performed in two 30-second stages with a 1-minute break between two performances. Blood sampling was performed in the control group before and after the Wingate test. In the cupping group with creatine, the test conditions were the same as in the cupping and creatine groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 27 software and with the help of analysis of covariance test.

The average creatine kinase (165.12±24.81) in the cupping and cupping + creatine group has a significant decrease compared to the control group (110.12±62.81) (P=0.004). The mean of lactate dehydrogenase in the control (352.10±10.46), cupping (348.10±17.46), creatine (369.10±33.48) and cupping + creatine (356.10±06.46) groups have no significant difference (P>0.005).

It seems that creatine supplementation along with Dry cupping therapy can have positive effects in speeding up recovery by reducing creatine kinase. However, there was no significant effect on lactate dehydrogenase activity.