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Diagnostic Questionnaire

Comprehensive assessment for cupping therapy patients

The patient who chooses treatment and diagnosis using cupping therapy will be required to answer our diagnostic questions. These questions represent a cumulative experience through which we have developed non-traditional inquiries that address the patient’s inner sensations in different positions throughout the day—from the state during sleep to the initial feeling upon waking, and the condition during movement, sitting, and standing. These questions carry very high diagnostic value and help correct the course of treatment that is otherwise built on conventional devices and standard questions.

The patient should take their time before answering. A question about a particular symptom does not necessarily refer to a current complaint; it includes any symptom experienced in the past, even many years ago. We also look for very old symptoms that may have been forgotten altogether. For instance, if the question is about numbness in the fingers, we mean any numbness that has ever occurred throughout the patient’s life, not just the present. Spinal complaints are cumulative and often begin years before reaching their current peak.

We view the human body like an electrical device: a light bulb that flickered or went out once twenty years ago and then resumed working is still considered faulty, even if it functions now. The same principle applies to symptoms that may have occurred only once in a lifetime—they remain clinically relevant and cannot be ignored.

The questions flow smoothly and naturally to cover the entire body so the patient does not feel bored while answering. Completing this questionnaire represents at least 80% of identifying the underlying cause of the complaint.

The questionnaire contains diagnostic questions that may reach up to 100% accuracy. These unconventional questions explore the patient’s inner sensations with remarkable reliability. For example, patients with cervical disc herniation feel relief and reduced pain with movement but suffer more when evening comes and they lie down, whereas patients with lumbar disc herniation experience increased pain during movement.

Completing the questionnaire with patience and precision enables us to determine at least 80% of the underlying issue before any further examinations.

Guidelines for Completing the Questionnaire

  • Think carefully about each question before answering and avoid rushing.
  • Mention any falls or traffic accidents in the past—even in childhood—as these traumas are absorbed by the spine and may manifest years later, especially if no fractures occurred.
  • Remember that current spinal symptoms usually result from older issues that have accumulated over the years; we look into the past to understand the present condition.
  • Understand that the questions are designed to identify both current and past complaints, even those that appeared many years ago and later subsided.
  • If a symptom is mentioned, report it even if it occurred only once in your lifetime. A single episode provides valuable diagnostic information.
  • Clarify whether pain worsens with sleep, movement, sitting, or prolonged standing, and describe how you adapt—such as changing sleeping positions or using additional support.
  • Explain whether pain appears after long periods of sitting or standing (for example, more than 30 minutes) and describe what happens when you begin to move again.
  • Identify the position that brings greatest relief as well as the one that causes peak pain so we can understand which postures to encourage or avoid.
  • Pinpoint the exact location of pain as accurately as possible. Tracing pain distribution helps us follow the nerve involved, even if the source lies elsewhere in the body.
  • Report all additional symptoms, even subtle ones, because pain typically represents only about 30% of spinal conditions and other signs are equally important.
  • Provide detailed descriptions—our diagnosis relies more on the patient’s narrative than on imaging results. We treat the person, not the MRI or X-ray image.

Pay close attention to how symptoms distribute between the right and left sides of the body. For instance, numbness in the right hand paired with pain in the left knee has a very different meaning from numbness and pain on the same side.

Family history plays a significant role in spinal conditions, especially among first-degree relatives. When reporting family cases, refer to relatives formally diagnosed with disc herniation through MRI or X-ray.