A MAN has been left with seven holes on his back after undergoing cupping therapy that went horribly wrong.

The man identified as Li Lin, 63, began taking the treatment every day from May to June in the hope of treating his scapulohumeral periarthritis — more commonly referred to as “frozen shoulder”.

He was told the therapy, which has a history of several thousand years in traditional Chinese medicine, would help with the pain and stiffness and allow him to move freely.

The treatment, known in Chinese as “ba guan”, traditionally uses heated glass cups to create local suction on the patient’s skin, causing circular bruising that is believed to be the result of now mobilised and free-flowing blood.

However, instead of having his condition cured, the man from Chengdu, capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, was left with holes on his back that were essentially very serious, deep burn wounds.

Lin said he went for the treatment every day, and his therapist placed the cups in the same position on his back.

After 10 days he reportedly began to notice blisters on his back, but convinced the treatment would cure his aching shoulder, Lin asked his wife to remove the blisters so he could continue the therapy.

Two days before the scheduled end of his treatment, however, Lin started experiencing severe pain on his back and also developed a high fever.

A trip to the doctors then revealed horrifying circular wounds on his back that had started to fester.

Doctors ordered Lin to stop his cupping therapy and he was given treatment for his wounds.

Reports quoting doctors said Lin could have suffered from serious infections had he not checked himself into hospital in time.

They noted that while cupping therapy is perfectly fine, the method should not be done on the same place on the body over such a long period of time.