Effects of Foot Dry Cupping in Diabetic Distal Polyneuropathy: A Pilot Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: distal polyneuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus with a considerable negative impact on the quality of life. this study aimed to evaluate the effect of dry cupping on distal polyneuropathy in diabetic patients. methods: this controlled clinical trial was performed on 34 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (dpn) for eight weeks. the non-invasive dry, fixed cupping therapy was performed on the sole of the right foot in the patients three times a week for 10 minutes, and the left foot of the same patient was considered as a control. the severity of diabetic neuropathy was measured using the modified toronto clinical neuropathy score (mtcns), and the symptom and sensory test scores were determined. results: twenty patients (40 feet) completed the study. there was a significant difference between the control foot and the treated foot in terms of the mtcns after four and eight weeks (p values = 0.004 and 0.001, respectively), in terms of the sensory test scores after four and eight weeks (p values = 0.007 and 0.005, respectively), and in terms of the symptom scores after eight weeks (p value = 0.002). conclusion: for the first time, this study demonstrated that cupping therapy might be effective as a complementary treatment in alleviating the symptoms of dpn, although understanding the underlying mechanism requires further investigation.