By Abu Ibraheem & Umm Ibraheem, both Certified Hijama Therapists · Updated
Quick answer
Hijama points are the places on the body where cups are placed. This chart brings together 98 numbered points (41 on the back, 23 on the front, 24 on the head and face and 10 on the legs and arms) and the 9 Sunnah points. The upper back is used most: point 1, the Kaahil Sunnah point, appears in 62 of our 68 treatment plans.
Tap a body system below to see the points our plans use most for it.
Show points for
Body map
Tap a point to highlight it. Drag, pinch or use + and − to zoom. "In N plans" counts our treatment plans that use the point.
By concern
Counted from the session maps in our 68 plans. The areas column shows how many plans in each group use that part of the body. Nearly every plan uses points 1 and 55 on the upper back (62 of 68), so the points column shows what else each group uses most. Each plan sets out the exact points for every session.
| Body system | Plans | Body areas used (plans) | Points used most, besides back 1 & 55 | Sessions | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and joints | 8 | back (8), front (6), legs and arms (3), head and face (1) | Back 11, Back 12 & 13, Back 41 & 42 | 1–6 | Show on chart |
| Women's and men's health | 8 | back (8), front (8), legs and arms (7) | Front 125 & 126, Front 143, Legs and arms 129 | 3–5 | Show on chart |
| Digestion | 11 | back (11), front (11), legs and arms (6) | Front 137 & 138 & 139 & 140, Front 121, Back 6 | 3–6 | Show on chart |
| Heart and circulation | 7 | back (7), front (6), legs and arms (4), head and face (2) | Back 11, Front 120, Front 121 | 3–5 | Show on chart |
| Mind and nerves | 18 | back (18), head and face (16), front (15), legs and arms (4) | Back 41 & 42, Back 11, Head and face 36 | 3–7 | Show on chart |
| Head, lungs and senses | 5 | back (5), head and face (4), front (2) | Back 43 & 44, Back 49, Back 20 & 21 | 2–4 | Show on chart |
| Metabolism, skin and immunity | 11 | back (11), front (11), legs and arms (5), head and face (1) | Front 120, Back 49, Back 11 | 3–9 | Show on chart |
Plans by body system: find your treatment plan.
How points are chosen
Good hijama is planned for the person and the condition. This is how our plans are built.
Safety first
Knowing where not to cup matters as much as knowing the points. Hijama should be done by a trained therapist with sterile, single-use equipment, and cups must never be shared.
Tell your therapist about any medical conditions and medicines before treatment. In an emergency, call your local emergency services.
| What you see | What it usually means | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Round marks or bruising | Normal: they come from the suction | Usually fade within one to two weeks |
| Darker marks | They often appear where circulation is poorer, and many people notice lighter marks as a course of sessions goes on | Usually within one to two weeks |
| Small scratch marks (wet cupping) | Normal: from the light, shallow scratches | Heal over a few days |
| Mild tiredness or light-headedness | Common straight after treatment: rest and drink water | The same day |
| Blistering, burns or infection | Should never happen: signs of poor technique or hygiene. Get medical advice | Do not wait: get help |
Research into cupping is growing but still limited: most trials are small, many have weaknesses, and most studied dry cupping. The clearest findings so far are for pain, where studies suggest cupping may help alongside usual care. The research does not show that particular points treat particular conditions: point choice comes from traditional practice and practitioner experience.
Chronic pain
A review of 18 trials (1,172 people) found cupping reduced pain in the short term compared with no treatment, but not clearly compared with sham cupping or other treatments. The authors say cupping might be an option, but the trials had important weaknesses.
Neck pain
A review of 18 randomised trials found less neck pain with cupping than with no treatment or other treatments, and side effects were mostly mild and temporary. The evidence was low quality, so no firm conclusions could be drawn.
Low back pain
Across 6 randomised trials, cupping lowered pain and disability scores compared with control treatments, and no serious side effects were reported. The trials varied widely and had a high risk of bias.
Wang YT et al. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 2017
Muscles and sports
A review of 22 studies, most of them on dry cupping, rated the evidence as moderate for soft-tissue flexibility, low to moderate for back and neck pain, and very low to low for other muscle and joint problems. Side effects were rare.
Mohamed AA, Zhang X, Jan YK. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 2023
A hijama points chart shows the numbered places on the body where cups are placed. Ours brings together our four body maps and the 9 Sunnah points, and shows which points our 68 treatment plans use most for each body system. Tap a point to see it on the zoomable map.
The 9 Sunnah points of hijama are where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was cupped: the crown of the head (Yafookh), the base of the skull (Qamahduwah), both sides of the neck (Akhda'ain), between the shoulders (Kaahil), both hips (Warik) and the tops of both feet (Dahr al-Qadam). See the 9 Sunnah points, mapped and explained.
Points 1 and 55 on the upper back each appear in 62 of our 68 plans. Point 1 is the Kaahil Sunnah point, between the shoulders at the seventh neck vertebra; point 55 is about 3cm under the shoulder. Most plans start from these upper-back points and add points chosen for the condition.
Across the 388 sessions in our plans, a session uses a median of 8 cup positions. Most use between 6 and 10, and none uses more than 17. Your therapist may use fewer, depending on your health and how you respond.
Our plans run from 1 to 9 sessions, most often 4, and each session uses a different set of points. 67 of our 68 plans allow 2-4 weeks between sessions.
Our 8 pain and joint plans all use the back. Besides points 1 and 55 on the upper back, they most often use points 11, 12, 13, 41 and 42 on the back (tap "Pain and joints" on the chart above). The back pain plan sets out which points to use in each session.
Yes. Our head and face map has numbered points on the forehead, brows, temples, nose, cheeks, chin and the back of the head, and 24 of our plans use them. Because a blade can scar the face, therapists use dry cupping or a fine pin there, and the deep area at the back of the head (point 39) is avoided unless it is really needed.
The points are the same. Each of our plans marks every point as wet cupping (hijama) or dry cupping: 93% of the points in our plans are wet. Dry cupping or a fine pin is used where a blade is not suitable, such as on the face.
The chart shows where the points are, not which to use for you. Points are chosen for the condition and change from session to session, and wet cupping should only be done by a trained therapist. If you have a complicated history, book a one-to-one consultation.
Most people find it far less painful than they expect. The suction feels like a firm pull and the small scratches cause only a brief sting. A good therapist adjusts the suction to keep you comfortable.
Talk to your doctor first if you have a bleeding or clotting disorder, take blood-thinning medicines, have anaemia, are pregnant, have diabetes or have a heart condition or a pacemaker, or have broken skin, varicose veins or active skin disease over the points.
Each of our 68 treatment plans tells you which points to cup for a condition, session by session.
Get all 68 multi-session hijama plans with point maps for every session, diet and lifestyle advice.