RIO DE JANEIRO -- They are the purple circles that set social media on fire Sunday night, the circular bruises on Michael Phelps right shoulder that left television viewers around the world wondering if the most decorated Olympian of all-time had contracted some rare skin disease, been attacked by an octopus, or perhaps was part-Dalmatian.The answer, of course, was none of the above. The bruises were the result of a form of cupping therapy Phelps had endured Sunday morning to treat some shoulder discomfort that set in after waiting in line for 40 minutes at the Olympic Village wearing a backpack. A day later, the mysterious circles became an international inquisition. Following Phelps prelim swim in the 200 butterfly on Monday, the first question a reporter asked a perplexed Phelps was about cupping.Ive done this for a while, he said. I asked for a little cupping yesterday and [trainer Keenan Robinson] hit me pretty hard with one and it left a couple bruises.Robinson, USA Swimmings director of high performance, was equally entertained Monday, suggesting that all the attention over the $30 cups was missing the bigger picture of all that goes into preparing Phelps and other athletes to compete at their highest levels.Its like asking a chef about his garnish when youre missing the main meal, Robinson said. Youve got this beautiful steak and vegetable medley -- thats what youre paying $75 for. Not the garnish. But this recovery modality shows the blemishes when he walks around, so people ask.The practice of Chinese cupping has been around for more than 2,000 years. But Robinson and USA Swimming chiropractor Kevin Rindal said that the form of therapy used on Phelps is somewhat different. Its essentially the opposite of a massage, using the suction from perfectly circular cups to manipulate and help separate the various layers of fascia and muscle beneath the skin. The end result is decreased discomfort and an increase in range of motion.Think of us as an Indy Car pit crew, Rindal said, looking at the structure and alignment of the vehicle to see if there is any kind of drag or anything. And if you think of how close these racers are, a little bit of restriction adds up in each stroke and can prevent a full reach. Its basically the fine-tuning of the tissue.Robinson, Phelps longtime trainer, said he has been using the therapy on Phelps since the fall of 2014. He brought the idea to the swimmer as a way to help the then-29-year-old recover from his two-a-day training sessions.Mike is probably the best at telling you whats voodoo and whats actually working, Robinson said. He was like, OK Keen-dog, what are you bringing me this time? But then hell do it and instantaneously hell tell you its hokey-pokey business or if its kind of effective.Phelps took to the treatment and, according to Robinson, has used it about twice a week since. Sometimes it can leave dark red bruises, other times there is no mark at all. The visibility of the bruising or lack thereof has no impact on whether or not the sometimes painful therapy has been effective. Since Phelps began using the treatment several other athletes have followed suit, including Dana Vollmer, who has already won two medals in Rio 17 months after giving birth.I know it looks weird but it really helps with blood flow, helps pull swelling out of different areas, she said. It works great for a lot of us.Added U.S. teammate Cody Miller: Its superficial bruising. Its not real bruising. Your muscle tissue isnt torn up in there. Its pulling blood into a certain area where tension has built. Its great. My fiancee does it to me in training.Robinson said that the training staff is constantly evaluating all the U.S. swimmers and the tension, stress and range of motion in their joints. Everything from massages to stretching to ice baths to the Graston technique, a form of therapy that uses instruments to massage the skin, can be used to treat inflammation or increase range of motion.We dont want people banged up, he said. We dont want broken products here at the Games.Not everyone agrees the cupping treatment even works. As is often the case with any type of alternative therapy, it takes just a few minutes online to find a detractor who doesnt believe there is a correlation between the treatment and athletic success. Robinson suggests the naysayers are wrong.Im not just going to throw a stick of butter on him and say, Well, I read that Usain Bolt or whoever is doing this, Robinson said. Im going to have an educated approach to it. You can stand on either side of the spectrum that it doesnt work. But we know the science says it is not detrimental and in some cases can really help out.In other words, its the latest in a long line of high-performance therapy fads that include everything from electrotherapy and cryotherapy (ice baths) to Kinesio tape and acupuncture needles. But this one has now been endorsed by the most decorated Olympian of all-time, after one of the most impressive races of his career.Its going to blow-up now, Robinson said. Actually, it just did.Cheap Jerseys From China . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.wholesalejerseyssale.us/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Sale Cheap Jerseys .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Wholesale Jerseys . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances.COLUMBIA, S.C. -- How do you like the view here, on the peak just below the peak? Its nice, isnt it? Look at how vast the area is that now lies below you, and realize what hard work it was to get this far.Now, see that ledge right there? Get to that. Hoist yourself up just one more time. And there you are -- at the very top! It doesnt look that far away, especially considering the distance youve come to get here. You can do it, right?This is where South Carolina womens basketball is, and its a great place to be. But what seems so close sometimes can be the most difficult part of the trip. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley knows this all too well, but its not what shes talking to her team about, of course.South Carolina, for all its talent, is still discussing some of the basics now. Thats what happens after losing four senior guards. Yet the last thing most anyone is expecting from the Gamecocks -- especially with a post duo like Aja Wilson and Alaina Coates -- is that they might need just a little rebuilding time.Theyre back in the spotlight again, so theres a fair amount that has to be worked out quickly.Its a little too care-free, but its who we are, Staley said of the personality of her team. Our coaches have talked about it: Whos the leader? Whos stepping up? It cant look like last year because were not like last year.Weve come upon a new type of team and new leadership. So its on us to figure out how to get it to that place without having those strong, competitive, outspoken people like weve had in years past.No one is feeling sympathy for South Carolina, which went 33-2 in 2015-16 and is picked to win the SEC again. And the team will get a test right away, when the No. 4 Gamecocks travel to face No. 7 Ohio State on Monday.The Gamecocks have been an NCAA tournament No. 1 seed three years in a row. They went to their first Final Four in 2015. They tied for the SEC regular-season title that year, won it with a 16-0 record last season and took the league tournament title both times.Theyve led the nation in Division I attendance two years in a row, averaging 14,978 last season. In a conference where football can blot out the sun even for mens basketball in some places, the Gamecocks matter to their school and community. They have a foothold.In the climb that the best programs in college sports attempt to make, the Gamecocks have been on a mostly exhilarating race up the mountain. The next ledge would be making it to the national championship game. And you know the final step.However, there are those programs that can do all but the last one. They dont get past the ledge. And many dont get quite get that far.As a player at Virginia, Staley went to three straight Final Fours and made one final but didnt win a title. This is well-worn territory in her mind. For her current players? Not so much, which is just as well.South Carolina lost senior guards Tiffany Mitchell, Khadijah Sessions, Asia Dozier and Tina Roy. Also gone are forwards Sarah Imovbioh, a transfer from Virginia who played her last season at South Carolina, and Jatarie White, who transferred to Texas.Bianca Cuevas-Moore, Doniyah Cliney and Tiffany Davis are returning guards who have experience under Staley. Davis, though, redshirted last season with an injury and played just 16 games the previous year.Cuevas-Moore played all but one game last season, averaging 18.1 minutes. In her two seasons, she has 127 assists -- but 124 turnovers.ddddddddddddTransfers Allisha Gray (coming from North Carolina) and Kaela Davis (Georgia Tech) should give the guard play a substantial boost. Both juniors were with the program last year, which helped get them ready for big roles this season. As sophomores at their previous schools, the 6-foot-2 Davis averaged 19.2 points per game, and the 6-foot Gray 15.2 PPG.Allisha is in midseason form now; she is the outside threat that can replace some of what we lost, Staley said. As for Kaela -- I dont know if theres a more versatile player in the country who can play 1 through 4 like she can. Its going to take some time for us to mesh as a unit, though.South Carolina also has three freshman guards in Tyasha Harris, Araion Bradshaw and Victoria Patrick. The fourth rookie is 6-2 forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who made a good first impression with 23 points and 11 rebounds Sunday in the Gamecocks 120-49 exhibition victory over Benedict.The foundation of the team is expected to be the local products, 6-5 Wilson and 6-4 Coates, who first started playing together in AAU basketball in Columbia when they were around 12 and 13 years old. Their influence on the program has been profound. They try not to dwell much on how last season ended -- a regional semifinal loss to Syracuse -- but its there.I think about it almost every day, Wilson said. Its one of the games that I have not watched yet. I dont think Im ever going to watch it.But its a motivator -- going from being in the Final Four your freshman year to being out in the Sweet 16 your sophomore year. You know what it takes to get to the Final Four, so being stopped is kind of a heartbreaker.Wilson, the SEC player and defensive player of the year last season, is high on the list of candidates for national player of the year. Over her first two seasons, she averaged 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds.Coates could be a lottery pick in the WNBA draft next spring, and maybe even the top selection. Shes averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in her three seasons with the Gamecocks, and shot 63.9 percent from the field.With that kind of post production, the Gamecocks know what their proverbial bread and butter is -- same as last year.There is a lot of logic in pounding the ball inside when you have those kind of targets. But Staley also wants the rest of the team to play to its strength. She hired former Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb specifically to help; her title is director of coaching offensive analytics.Some shots that five years ago I would go ballistic on now are part of our game, Staley said, resigned to perhaps ceding a little more control to players on-court instincts. I dont mind taking a jump shot in transition, if thats what a player does and shes accurate in that.Lets not go crazy; lets embrace it and look at the numbers. If shes efficient in that spot, we cant be mad at it.And so the Gamecocks, who are close enough to the peak that they can see it, are still working out the best way to actually get there. Admittedly, it can sometimes seem like the most frustrating part of the journey. But it just depends on how you look at it. Because it took a lot to get this far, and that should be relished, too. ' ' '