I recently got CTM Bands to help with muscle soreness and recovery after my workouts.
The band was designed by sports chiropractor, Dr. Bowling, and his patients have been getting great results so it’s worth trying.
CTM trigger point bands combine compression, tension, and movement to get the most out of myofascial release.
I’ve tried foam and stick rollers, floss bands, and lacrosse balls but they don’t combine all three components.
Let’s check it out!
Unboxing
Table of Contents
The CTM Band comes is a small box with one of the trigger point balls showing through a window.
Once I took everything out of the box, here’s what’s inside.
A carrying bag, floss band, and 4 trigger point balls.
Specs
- Width: 2 inches
- Length: 7ft
- Thickness: 1.3 mm
- Material: Natural Latex Rubber
- Max Stretch: 150% of length
- Color: Blue, green, and yellow bands have 4 black removable trigger point balls. Turquoise band has 6 balls.
- Carrying bag: Nylon carrying case
Floss Band
The floss band comes rolled up with a rubber band.
Floss bands restrict blood flow to the compressed area and when you take them off, the blood rushes to that area and floods it with oxygen and nutrients to speed up recovery.
The CTM band is 7 feet long and 2 inches wide.
I chose green but they also have them in blue and yellow.
There’s also a CTM Band XL which is 4 inches wide and has 6 trigger point balls instead of 4.
What’s different about this band than regular floss bands is that it has 4 small holes on one end.
This is where I insert dome shaped trigger point balls that apply tension (pressure) to the areas I want to treat.
Trigger Point Balls
The kit comes with 4 trigger point balls.
They’re half domes with small bumps on top.
These trigger point balls apply pressure to trigger points to reduce muscle tension and restrictions.
The trigger point balls have a button like circle on the bottom.
This circle goes through the hole on the band to keep the ball in place.
How It Works
The band was designed by Dr. Bowling based on myofascial release research.
To be effective, self myofascial release must combine the effects of compression, massage, and stretching.
This is exactly what the CTM Band does better than foam rollers, stick rollers, lacrosse balls, or floss bands.
How To Use
Here’s an instructions sheet that comes inside the box.
You can find lots of videos showing how to wrap the bands for different conditions on the CTM bands website.
To start using the CTM Band I first add the trigger point balls to the floss band.
I stretch a hole in the band and stick the “button” through it.
Once it’s in the hole here’s what it looks like.
This locks the trigger point ball in place.
This is what it looks like on the other side.
I can use one trigger point ball if I’m targeting a small body part like my forearm.
Here I’m trying the band around my forearm using only one trigger point ball.
And here’s what it looks like with the band fully surrounding and compressing the muscle.
So here I have compression (provided by the band) and pressure (trigger point ball).
I can start moving my wrist up and down to add the movement component to the treatment.
If I wanted to treat bigger body parts like my calf or thigh, I can add more trigger point balls to the band.
I can customize the band however I want.
For my calf I’m going to use 3 trigger point balls.
Here you can see the 3 balls applying pressure to my calf as I start to wrap the band.
And here’s what it looks like fully wrapped.
Then I just stretch my calf or move my ankle around for 3 to 5 minutes.
First time I tried this it felt painful, not in a bad way but it was more like a good hurt.
The more I do it, the better my muscles move with less restrictions, and the less I hurt.
CTM Bands vs Other Recover Tools
Foam Rollers
I’ve used foam rollers like you probably have and when you’re sore or tight, they feel great.
When my thighs or hamstrings are sore, a foam roller hurts real good.
I’m able to roll on it and apply tension with my body weight but it’s missing the compression component.
Floss Bands
With a regular floss band l’m able to compress and move the area of pain but it’s missing the tension (pressure) component.
Using the CTM band I’m able to apply compression, tension, and movement with one piece of equipment.
The table below summarizes what all these tools are able to achieve.
| Modality | Foam Roller | CTM Band | Floss Bands |
| Compression | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tension (Pressure) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Movement (User generated) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
What Do CTM Bands Help With?
According to Dr. Bowling and the athletes he has treated successfully, the CTM trigger point band may help with the conditions listed below.
I personally only use it for tight muscles and muscle soreness and it feels great.
- Muscle soreness (DOMS)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Arch and achilles pain
- Shin splints
- Peroneal tendonitis
- Calf, shoulder, hamstring, and elbow strain, pain, and tightness
- Runner’s knee
- Patellar tendinitis
- Illiotibial band syndrome (ITB)
- Patellofemoral pain
Pros & Cons
What I Like
- All-in-One: I get compression and tension from the trigger point balls in one product
- Adjustable: I can use one or multiple balls depending on the part of the body I wanna treat
- User friendly: Easy to use on multiple body parts and educational videos are provided
- Faster recovery: Reduces pain, muscle knots, and increases range of motion for recovery between my workouts
- Inexpensive: At $35, this is a cheap way to feel and function better
- Lifetime Warranty: If the band ever breaks, they’ll replace it
What I Don’t Like
- Hurts initially: Hurts initially (in a good way) but the more I use it, the less it hurts.
CTM Bands Discount Code
At $39, the CTM band is an expensive tool that gives me pain relief and allows me to function better.
I’m working on an exclusive discount code.
I’m able to get one I’ll come back and post it here.
CTM Bands Review
I dig the CTM band because recovery is an area I lack in.
Yes, I take rest day but I don’t do much to actively help my muscle feel and move better.
Since I’ve gotten the CTM trigger point band, I don’t have an excuse to not use it.
I wrap it around an area that’s sore or I want to improve range of motion in, and just move like I normally would.
The band does all the hard work and I’m done in 3 to 5 minutes.
Check Out The CTM Bands Here
CTM Bands
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