Vacuum therapy and vacuum massage

Vacuum therapy (vacuum massage) is the effect on the skin and underlying tissues of negative pressure of about 0.1-0.7 atm.

The mechanism of action of vacuum massage

In the zone of negative pressure, capillaries expand, blood flow increases, and metabolic processes in cells and tissues are activated. Irritation of the mechano- and thermoreceptors of the skin has a stimulating effect on the neurohumoral system, increasing the flow of acetylcholine, histamine, prostaglandins and other substances into the blood. At the boundary of the transition from negative pressure to normal, "soft" hemorrhage foci appear in the skin, which are additional sources of biological stimulation of T-lymphocyte synthesis, promoting the restoration of skin immunity and mediated activation of fibroblasts.

The principle on which vacuum therapy is based is to increase blood flow and enhance its circulation in the area of local negative barometric pressure or decompression. This is what creates unique conditions in which the trophism of peripheral tissues and intracellular metabolism improves, the elimination of toxins is activated, inflammation of damaged cells stops, and their structural and functional recovery accelerates.

The devices, equipment and techniques for performing this type of therapy may differ and depend on both the specific method and the purpose of the treatment procedure.

Indications for the procedure

Considering the stimulating effect on local metabolic processes, venous circulation and lymphatic drainage, indications for vacuum therapy include:

• swelling of the lower extremities due to chronic venous insufficiency;
• stagnation of lymph in the vessels and lymphedema;
• occlusion of arteries of the lower extremities in vascular atherosclerosis;
• angiotrophoneurosis of the upper extremities - Raynaud's disease;
• muscle atrophy/hypotrophy and spasms;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia and neuroses;
• constipation;
• obesity;
• lipodystrophy (cellulite).

And vacuum wound therapy using NPWT technology (details below) is intended for the treatment of:

• various types of wounds (especially poorly healing open wounds with a high risk of secondary infection);
• burns of the first and second degree;
• trophic ulcers (including diabetic foot), etc.

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Technique vacuum therapy

Vacuum massage is prescribed using two methods.

1. Dotted technique. There is a small hole in the middle of the cannula. To create a seal, this hole is closed with a finger, and the cannula is pressed tightly to the skin. Depending on the skin area, a pressure of 0.1 to 0.5 atm is selected. The duration of negative pressure is 3-5 s. The finger is removed from the hole, the pressure is normalized. The cannula is moved to a new place, next to the previous one, and so the skin of the face is consistently affected along massage lines, from the center of the face to the auricle, from the superciliary arches to the scalp. In this case, the areas of the upper and lower eyelids are avoided.
2. Sliding technique. Most often used when working on the body, for the correction of lipodystrophy (cellulite), and only in exceptional cases on the face. Before the procedure, the skin is covered with cream or oil. To ensure good sliding. Having created negative pressure in the cannula, without lifting it, slide it along the skin from the center of the face to the auricle along the massage lines, in the forehead area, respectively.

The vacuum massage procedure is carried out for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a week, in a course of 10-15 procedures.

Vacuum cupping therapy

The simplest method is vacuum therapy at home, which is carried out by placing regular medical cups on the back, for example, for bronchitis.

It is also common practice to use plastic or silicone cups for vacuum massage; such a vacuum therapy kit may include cups of different sizes.

In addition to respiratory diseases with cough (except for pulmonary tuberculosis), vacuum therapy with cups and cupping massage are recommended for arthritis, fibromyalgia, leg swelling, and cellulite.

Vacuum gradient therapy is considered to be a variant of cupping therapy – installation of cups of different diameters during one session. The gradient, i.e. the transition from a smaller pressure reduction to a larger one, occurs due to the difference in the size of the skin area drawn into the cups and the pressure between them. It is believed that in this way local blood flow is stimulated in the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue, and therefore the effectiveness of vacuum massage procedures for obesity and lipodystrophy is significantly higher.

Another type of therapeutic cupping massage is magnetic-vacuum therapy, which uses so-called acupuncture magnetic-vacuum cups (with a magnetic cone-shaped rod inside), which, according to their Chinese manufacturers, additionally affect the same reflex zones of the body as acupressure.

Vacuum therapy of wounds

Wounds usually heal by approximating the wound edges (e.g. by suturing), and the process of regenerating the defect by granulation and restoring the intact epithelial barrier is quite complex and lengthy, often accompanied by infection and inflammation. Vacuum wound therapy – in particular, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) technology or local negative pressure therapy (TNP), as well as VAC (Vacuum Assisted Closure) – makes the healing process more dynamic. And all thanks to an increase in blood flow to damaged tissues and a decrease in their swelling.

The use of vacuum therapy in surgical practice and traumatology gives a good effect of healing chronic and severe wounds with extensive and deep damage to soft tissues, creating a moist environment, removing discharge from the drainage, compressing the edges of the wound, stimulating angiogenesis and the formation of granulation tissue. In addition, NPWT can provide protection from infection, since an open wound is transformed into a controlled closed one.

A device for vacuum wound therapy (models Foryou STAN NPWT, PICO Single Use NPWT, VivanoTec, etc.) usually consists of an adjustable vacuum pump, special multilayer dressings, fasteners for sealing the wound surface, drainage tubes, systems for connecting wound dressings to pump units, a chamber (container) for collecting waste fluids.

The technique requires appropriate preparation of the wound surface and application of an initial loose dressing, followed by a dense occlusive dressing (the type of dressing used depends on the type of wound and clinical objectives). Then a drainage system is connected and the dressing is sealed. When the preparation is complete, the air pump is connected: it can be set to continuous or intermittent pressure with regulation of its level.

Vacuum laser therapy

Vacuum laser lipolysis or vacuum laser therapy is a non-invasive and painless alternative to conventional fat removal – liposuction.

The vacuum therapy device (or rather procedure) combines a suction device with rollers, equipped with a vacuum pump, with heat from a low-power laser.

The effect of dual action – vacuum and laser – is explained by the fact that it promotes the movement of “heated” triglycerides from adipocytes (fat tissue cells) to their outer membranes and into the intercellular space, from where everything is absorbed by the lymphatic system.

At the same time, the rollers, as claimed in spa salons, stretch out fibrous tissue and smooth out the dimples on the skin characteristic of lipodystrophy.

Interval vacuum therapy

Vacuum can be applied continuously or intermittently, and in the second case it is interval vacuum therapy, which is carried out in case of venous and arterial problems of the lower extremities, as well as during rehabilitation after sports injuries and vascular diseases.

Alternating pressure (normal and low) helps to increase lymph circulation and activate blood flow in the periphery and muscles. The device for this type of vacuum therapy consists of a cylindrical space where the patient's legs are placed; in the waist area, the internal space of the device is sealed, and a vacuum pump alternately generates intermittent normal and low pressure.

During the normal pressure phase, the reverse flow of venous blood and lymph in large vessels is facilitated, and thanks to this, interval vacuum therapy provides deep lymphatic drainage.

Vacuum therapy for osteochondrosis

Preparation for a vacuum procedure for osteochondrosis consists of a light five-minute, slightly warming massage with essential oils. Then, cups are placed on both sides of the spine (with an indent of 7-8 cm), and a specialist in cupping massage gets to work.

Post-procedure care is simple: cover yourself well and rest, lying on your stomach, for at least 40-45 minutes.

However, there are contraindications to vacuum therapy for osteochondrosis, and these are:

• hypersensitivity of the skin and the presence of large moles where massage is required;
• skin cancer or oncology of other localizations;
• high risk of bleeding;
• tuberculosis;
• significantly elevated blood pressure;
• predisposition to seizures;
• pregnancy.

More useful information – Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Vacuum constrictor therapy

Local negative pressure therapy (NPT) – vacuum therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED) or phallo decompression – is used to stretch the cavernous bodies of the penis and increase blood flow to the penis.

Depending on the purpose, vacuum constriction therapy may be used - vacuum constriction devices (VCD or vacuum rector) with an external constriction ring that is placed at the base of the penis to prevent blood flow, maintaining an erection for intercourse.

When the constriction ring is not used, it simply increases blood oxygenation in the male genital organ and reduces cavernous fibrosis, and such vacuum therapy for men is part of rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy, potentially increasing the chance of maintaining erectile function.

Experts note that this treatment option is more likely to help men with moderate ED. But even with the right preparation, 65% of patients stop using the VCD device within two to three months.

Vacuum therapy of the face

Today, facial vacuum therapy is limited to vacuum massage using a suction electric pump with attachments.

At the same time, stories about a long-lasting lifting effect, restoration of the youthful structure of the skin and increased collagen synthesis are sometimes somewhat exaggerated, since such a procedure has become standard in many salons... So reading reviews about the procedures and their effectiveness (99% fictitious for advertising purposes) is a waste of time.

The only thing that is guaranteed to improve after vacuum massage of the facial skin is local blood circulation and lymphatic drainage; the rest depends on factors such as the state of the endocrine system and metabolism, skin type and daily care, as well as the “degree of wear and tear”.

Contraindications to the procedure

The technique is simple to perform, effective, but has a wide range of contraindications.

Vacuum therapy should not be performed on patients with fever, acute infectious diseases, or after heart attacks or strokes.

Hardware vacuum procedures are not used in cases of third-degree arterial hypertension; dermatological diseases of bacterial, fungal or viral origin; low platelet levels in the blood and poor clotting, as well as in the presence of thrombophlebitis or varicose veins in the legs (if the procedure affects the lower limbs).

This type of therapy is prohibited for pregnant women.

Contraindications to the vacuum method of wound treatment are oncological diseases; purulent-necrotic processes in bone and soft tissues; the presence of fistulas; gaping of internal organs and large blood vessels in the wound cavity; septicemia.

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Consequences after the procedure

Probably, the positive consequences after the procedure are more obvious (see the beginning of the material). Therefore, special attention should be paid to complications after the procedure.

So, vacuum therapy with cups is considered safe, only after removing the cups, characteristic round hematomas remain on the skin for some time. But this is normal and is not considered a complication. But when using glass cups, you can accidentally get a skin burn. And in any case, there is no guarantee of the absence of an individual reaction, for example, in the form of pinpoint subcutaneous hemorrhages (petechiae) or exacerbation of some chronic pathology.

Vacuum wound therapy can be accompanied by severe pain, especially when changing dressings, so in such cases the problem is solved with painkillers.

And vacuum therapy for men (more precisely, vacuum-constrictor) is fraught with significant subcutaneous hemorrhages in the penis, its paresthesia and extremely painful erection.

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