Effects of dry cupping therapy and creatine supplementation on inflammatory and cardiovascular responses to the Wingate test in handball players

Aim. To evaluate the effects of dry cupping therapy (DCT) and creatine supplementation (CS) on cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to the Wingate test. Methods. In this quasi-experimental study, 12 male handball young players were selected in a crossover design. Players were studied in four conditions: DCT; CS; CS+DCT, control. In all conditions, blood pressure, heart-rate, and body composition were measured pre- and post- Wingate test. Players were assessed by the Wingate test in two 30-second phases with a 1-minute break between the phases. Blood [lactate-dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CK)] was drawn pre- and immediately post- the Wingate test. In players with CS condition, 60 g of creatine was consumed per day in three consecutive days prior to the study (3 meals of 20 g in morning, noon, and night). The DCT was performed after Wingate test to consider its possible effects for alleviating the muscle injury markers. Data were evaluated using analysis of covariance followed by a post-hoc Bonferoni test. Results. The heart-rate’ means in DCT, CS and CS+DCT conditions were lower compared to the control-condition (p<0.05). The CK’ means in DCT and CS+DCT conditions were lower compared to the control-condition (p<0.05). The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and LDH in the four conditions were similar (p>0.05). Conclusion. DCT and CS lead to beneficial effects on cardiovascular function, including changes in heart-rate as well as blood biomarkers among handball players following the Wingate test.