Our friends over at Run Oregon were nice enough to take a few minutes to review the CTM Band. Check it out here: Run Oregon CTM Band Review
-KB
]]>In my clinic I focus heavily on identifying underlying biomechanical issues that cause our common injuries (back pain, hip pain, knee pain, shin splints, foot pain, etc.). By FAR, my most common finding is a gluteus medius that is weak or not activating. It's called Trendelenburg sign and looks like this:Â
Basically, the glute medius is in charge of keeping our hips and core stable while running and walking. If it's not doing its job, your body can't support its own weight and all hell breaks loose along the kinetic chain causing overuse injuries to pop up anywhere. It looks like this when running:

A great way to correct or prevent this can be done anywhere, anytime! Brushing your teeth, standing in front of your computer or kitchen counter are all times you can work on this. Literally anytime you have 60-90 seconds....stand on one leg, lift the opposite hip, and hold it for a minute and a half. Like this:
Doing this every day on each leg will build your body's mechanical efficiency and prevent injuries in an extremely simple and easy way!
]]>During this time of uncertainty (to put it mildly!), we need to be taking every step possible keep our bodies functioning to their fullest abilities. Did you know that studies have shown vitamin D to play a vital role in regulating your immune system? If you did, nice work! If not, let me explain:
There are vitamin D receptors on the surface of every white blood cell. The function of these receptors is to keep the immune system balanced between being over and under stimulated. Too much stimulation can create autoimmune issues, and too little can create susceptibility to infection.
What does this have to do with our current issues of fighting COVID-19? Well, THISÂ study done in 2017 links low vitamin D with respiratory infections. In fact, it shows a 42% reduction of the odds in developing a respiratory infection (which is one of the biggest threats from the Coronavirus).
So how much vitamin D do we need per day? Approximately 4,000-7,000 IU's. You can get this easily through supplementation. My advice though? Get outside and exercise! With just 30 minutes of midday sunlight, you will get 10,000-20,000 IU's.Â
Fast, free, an excuse to get outside, and a great way to give that Coronavirus a nice one-finger salute!
Check back tomorrow for more ways to use diet, exercise, and fun to help us get through these challenging times!
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Anyways, we're honored to be included in her gift guide! Check it out.
]]>The OPTP foam roller has been the workhorse of the self-massage industry for the last few years. It’s relatively inexpensive and effective as a tool to warm-up muscles, self-massage, and for myofascial release therapy as it helps relieve knots and decreases tension in the muscle. They’re great before a workout to help warm up the muscles and afterward as a way to cool down.
Today, though, there’s a new player in the market. Let’s explore CTM bands; what they are and what they can mean for you.
The CTM band is the newest tool in the myofascial release arsenal. It is used to treat stiff muscles and articulations, increase blood flow into the affected area, and it can help speed recovery after particularly heavy effort or even injury.
Many accessories out there help with muscle recovery after running, but the CTM band is a simple all-in-one compact tool that does everything: warming up, cooling down, and stretching exercises, all possible within a few minutes.
It not only helps runners maintain their musculoskeletal systems in optimal shape, but it also helps treat the most common runner’s injuries, such as shin splints and plantar fasciitis.
When compared to your OPTP roller, the CTM band tends to stand out by its greater versatility, efficacy, and portability. It’s much easier to take your CTM band to the gym than an OPTP roller, which will usually stay home due to its bulk. This means that an OPTP roller is often used several hours after the workout is done and when the muscles have had time to stiffen.
In contrast, the CTM band is much more portable. It can be used on site and as needed. It provides greater freedom and more immediate relief for its users.
It’s also the better economic option by far. Since it is such a versatile tool, it fulfills all the functions of the OPTP roller, as well as those of a classic massage band and trigger point balls. And all of that in a single compact tool. It avoids clutter at home, and it keeps costs down. Consider the potential savings due to better musculoskeletal health and fewer visits to your physical therapist. Better training translates to less injury, which means better health and a more fulfilling life.
The CTM band is a must-have for every runner, professional or amateur.
]]>CTM bands have made a big splash in the sports world. Serious runners swear by them. If you are not already using one, you probably know someone who is.
What the CTM band brings is a simple multi-purpose tool that helps diminish recovery time for muscles and articulations pre- and post-effort. More than that, however, CTM bands are also a therapeutic tool in case of injury.
CTM bands help release myofascial tension. Before the advent of the CTM band, the best way to accomplish myofascial release was at the hands of an experienced practitioner, which is why people tended to wait till the damage was done before doing something about it.
With the CTM band, however, you get, for the first time, a true self-help tool that can achieve myofascial release in the comfort of your own home or even on the track itself, which not only helps avoid injury in the first place, but can also help speed up the healing process in case of such injuries occurring.
Let’s explore what a CTM band can do for you in case of runner’s knee.
The traditional way of dealing with runner’s knee is a combination of rest, OPTP rollers, trigger point balls, and a floss band. Used under the supervision of a physical therapist, these items can be used to even greater effect.
With the CTM band, however, you can work on your injured muscles at home and at leisure, providing a constant stimulus to your lower extremity to maintain an optimal healing process.
Stretching the muscle can lead to greater flexibility in the healing muscle fibers and can allow them to retain suppleness. This may reduce the need for physical therapy after the healing process is done. It also increases the blood flow in the affected muscle, speeding up the healing process.
The CTM band is the Swiss army knife of the serious runner. It can help with all the common running injuries, including plantar fasciitis and splinted shins.
By using the band effectively before and after every run, you predispose your body towards a speedy recovery and cut down on future injuries. It’s enough to warm up for a few minutes with your CTM band to avoid any serious inconveniences on the track. This is why the CTM band has become a fixture in today’s sports world.
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Check out these instructional videos on how we can help:
]]>Running is a great way to stay fit, exercise your body, and maintain optimal health. That being said, it is almost inevitable to develop some injury as a side effect of a running habit. The increasing pressure on knees calves and ankles will take their toll and eventually lead to one or more running injuries.
So what to do when we are on the receiving end of a running injury?
Let’s explore the different therapeutic techniques and self-help tools out there to help see us through this eventuality.
Depending on your injury, the therapy may vary, but common techniques are used to deal with many running injuries.
After the injury has healed, the athlete must gradually retrain the affected member to get back in shape and avoid future injuries.
Recovering from a running injury is down to both the therapist and the patient. The patient can do many things to speed up the process. Many self-help tools can help avoid injury in the first place and help treat them if they occur.
Listen to your therapist and stop aggravating the situation by stressing the injured member. Many athletes are willing to suffer if it means a faster recovery. With most running injuries, however, the patient needs rest so that the body can repair itself. Follow through with good nutrition and enough sleep.
Once you start to feel better, you can start to gradually stress the injured member to keep it supple and loose. You may use a CTM band for this since it can be used to stretch, massage, and achieve a myofascial release. It will also allow you to work several times a day without overtaxing the injured area. Â
Listen to your body and always remain vigilant and analytical before a run. The best way to avoid injury is with proper preparation, physically and mentally.
]]>Believe it or not, we are natural born runners. That doesn’t mean that running is a risk-free activity, though. If you’re unprepared or push yourself over the limit, it’s inevitable that you will injure yourself, especially if you change your training volume or don’t give your body enough time to recover.
That’s why good nutrition, stretching before and after a run, and using the right equipment such as running shoes or a CTM band to avoid injuries is essential.
We are never far from potential injuries, so we thought we would compile a list of the most common running injuries out there and the risks you should be aware of:
So how do we avoid falling victim to these injuries?
Though the injuries vary, common threads bind them: the use of inappropriate equipment is one, overtaxing your lower extremities and not allowing for enough recovery is another, which leads people to ignore the feedback their bodies are sending them.
To avoid these injuries, you should take extra care before running. Do enough warm up and plan your run ahead of time.
Also, you need to use the right tools for the job. Get the right footwear. If you own a CTM band, it would be prudent to use this before and after the run.
Finally, get in touch with what your body is telling you. Watch out when changing your running regimen and make sure you give your body the preparation and recovery time it needs to keep you safe and maximize your performance.
]]>The great debate when faced with a sprain or strain has always been ice versus heat: which is better? And when?
The official term for treatment with ice is cryotherapy and thermotherapy for heat. Both are very useful and necessary therapeutic approaches for dealing with soft tissue injuries. Let’s dig in and analyze the best uses for these techniques.
Cryotherapy: the use of ice, cold packs, and nitrogen sprays. If you’re a sports fan, you’ve probably seen the paramedic jump right into the field the moment a player is injured and use a spray on the affected member; that’s a nitrogen spray, and you’re observing cryotherapy in action. As you may have guessed, cryotherapy is best used for fresh and acute injuries. The idea is to cool down the affected area to minimize swelling and pain.
Outside of fresh injuries, ice can be used to bring down persistent swelling and relieve pain in inflamed soft tissue and articulations.
Thermotherapy: this technique works best with stiff muscles, chronic pain, and stress. It works by gently prying tense muscle fibers apart and favoring an improved blood circulation in the area under treatment. Thermotherapy works wonders when dealing with generalized muscle tension and stress.
Cryotherapy and thermotherapy were not lost on the ancients, who invested a lot of time and effort in building and maintaining hot and cold baths, as the Romans did. This was a way of treating many illnesses and soft tissue injuries amongst citizens.
Alternating between both applications is a third treatment method, called contrasting therapy. This is an extremely stimulating way to help injury recovery.
At any rate, you should be conscious that using either technique when unnecessary can be potentially harmful and can aggravate symptoms instead of helping. Using thermotherapy on an inflamed knee can be very bad as it is likely to cause greater swelling and pain. If you use ice on stiff muscles, they will react by getting stiffer.
When dealing with muscle pain, you can easily mistake a trigger point for an “iceable” injury. This is a common mistake and can aggravate the issue. Instead of ice, you should use your CTM band followed by thermotherapy as a finisher.
The main thing is to diagnose what you’re dealing with before choosing ice or heat. If in doubt, consult a professional.
]]>Stretching is a natural part of your muscle recovery and maintenance habits. It goes without saying that if you’re into sports, stretching has greater importance. Stretching can make a big difference in the performance that you give, but it will also help improve your recovery time and cut down on muscle-related injuries.
A well-tuned musculoskeletal system starts with nutrition, follows through with activity, and is capped by the right stretching routine.
There are two main types of stretches out there: active and passive stretching. Active stretching entails a stretch that you do actively, while passive stretching refers to the use of an external force to accomplish the stretching exercise, such as a physical therapist, your bodyweight, a strap, or gravity.
Which is better? Active or Passive?
It depends on what you need at the time. The big advantage of passive stretching is that you can stretch your muscles beyond your natural flexibility and increase your flexibility to a greater extent than you would if you were to use active stretching. It tends to be more intensive and painful than active stretching, however, which is why it’s essential that the stretched muscles are as relaxed as possible when using this technique.
Post-workout is the best time to go for this technique, as it avoids over-stretching a cold muscle and causing injury. Examples of passive stretching include having a friend help you with a hamstring stretch or using a doorway to help stretch your ankle.
Active stretching is the most common form of stretch and the most instinctive. Active stretching requires the athlete to use his or her strength to accomplish the stretch. It can be done anytime and does not surpass the muscles’ natural range of movement.
Respecting the natural range of motion of the articulation and involved muscle groups means that there’s much less risk of muscle injury as a result of this stretching technique. It can be used safely even if the muscles are cold. It can not only help stretch up the muscle fibers involved, but it can act as an effective warm-up for said muscles, too.
More and more people are using tools to optimize their stretches safely. The CTM band, for example, can help you achieve the optimal stretch without risking injury.
For whatever ails you, in preparation for activity, or post-workout, remember to stretch when necessary while keeping yourself safe.
]]>Part 2: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
And we're not done yet. Stay tuned!
]]>Better Recovery With The CTM Band
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]]>First Look: 3 Go-To Therapy Products You've Never Heard Of
THEN we made their list of top rated runner's gear:
Trail Runner's Top Rated Gear Picks
Since the release of these stories, we've received an overwhelming amount of support from around the globe and we couldn't be more thankful. As of today, people from 37 states and 12 countries have bought the CTM Band. Here's the thing though, we're just getting started!Â
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]]>I've had several injuries over the years that originated from my calves (plantar fasciitis, achilles pain, shin splints, calf strains). Because of this, I HAVE to make my pre/post run routine consist of in-depth and exceptional calf work. This is in part where my idea for the CTM Band came from. I wanted to use something that satisfied the scientific requirements for myofascial release (nothing else on the market did!) But before making more CTM Bands, I had to at the very least put it to test on my own big stage! Well, my calves felt great on a TOUGH course and I came out with the win!Â
This was the first of many tests that I put the band through. My patients, medical colleagues, and athletes who are a lot better/faster than me needed to give feedback and recommendations before proceeding with development. But this half marathon win certainly helped me to gain momentum and confidence for an "all systems go!" with the CTM Band.
]]>In the video, I'm showing a bit of an abbreviated version of what to do. Be sure you're moving the hamstring through a range of motion for the FULL two minutes. Good luck and let me know what questions you have!
]]>I mention this in the video, but just a reminder that MOST cases of ITB Sydrome involve hip/core instability to some degree. In these cases, only using the CTM Band will not be as effective. Combine the CTM protocols with hip and core stability exercises to successfully beat IT Band pain! Here's another video of some gait analysis that I did in my office that shows how to spot hip instability:
Leave a comment with any questions!
]]>So now you ask "If DOMS is a good thing, then why would I need a CTM Band?" If DOMS is severe enough and left untreated, it can leave you with edema, irritation, and decreased mobility of the involved tissues. Fortunately, studies have shown that the use of myofascial release and compression techniques can significantly decrease the tenderness of the involved areas. Check out the video below on how to use the CTM Band for DOMS. We use quads as the example, but it can be applied to any of the extremities in the same way. You know the drill: Put the band on TIGHT, take the area through it's entire ROM, and leave it on for TWO minutes. Leave a comment and let us know if you have any questions!
]]>Today we introduce our first part (of many!) in our CTM Band Injury Series. The band can be used in so many ways to both prevent and treat the common musculoskeletal aches and pains that we get. This will be an outline of the specifics on how to fully implement and take advantage of what the CTM Band has to offer.Â
First up? It’s one we all know and hate: plantar fasciitis! Plantar fasciitis (PF) is one of the most frustrating injuries to conquer due in part to how chronic it can become. The first step in beating PF is figuring out the underlying mechanics of how you got it in the first place. One of the most common underlying mechanical issues is a lack of mobility in the foot and it’s surrounding areas, namely the calf and foot itself. Relieving the restriction/tightness in the gastrocnemius, soleus, flexor hallicus/digitorum, and intrinsic muscles of the foot are all key!
How do you check whether this is you? Try an ankle dorsiflexion test:Â
Did you experience any tightness in your calf, ankle, or foot? If so, then the CTM band can help! Check out our video below on how to treat your PF using the band.
As the video notes, these exercises should be done daily both before and after your workout. Doing these exercises are also a great way to prevent injuries like PF, Achilles pain, calf strains, and shin splints which all can come from restriction in these areas. A proper evaluation from a qualified professional is course still recommended, but using our band can be a great addition to your rehab. Let us know if you have any questions!
]]>A main reason why we're so excited about the CTM Band and what it can do, revolves around the fact that there's a significant amount of science and research that proves its potential. Take for example this study that shows the effectiveness of ischemic pressure (compression!) followed by sustained stretching on myofascial trigger points (muscle pain). What other tool on the market can combine these two components like the CTM Band!? Or how about this study that shows an increase in ankle dorsiflexion in young athletes when combining foam rolling and static stretching. Again, CTM Band simultaneously combines the effects of foam rolling (myofascial release) and stretching. What other tools do this? Poor ankle dorsiflexion is a leading cause of plantar fasciitis, achilles pain, shin splints, calf strains, and can also wreck your squat!
Clearly I'm a huge nerd about this stuff, so I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have about how the CTM Band can help with these things. Please leave a comment below!
]]>WDRB News did a story on the CTM Band yesterday. We are so excited/thankful/fortunate! Check out the video HERE!
]]>Some of you may have seen the “internet grenades” I’ve been hurling lately at the foam roller, stick roller, and lacrosse ball as tools used for myofascial release. Let me first say that I DO think there is some value in using these tools. Take for instance the study here that shows an increase in hip range of motion when using a foam roller and stretching together. Foam rolling and stretching at the same time sounds kind of difficult though, right? These tools have been useful and should be looked at as pioneers of the SMR (self-myofascial release) industry. But much like the pay phone, it’s time to move forward! The CTM Band is the first tool to COMBINE the effect of foam rolling and stretching simultaneously. To get a little more scientific on y’all, removing adhesion/fibrosis from layers of fascia/muscles MUST include both movement (stretching) and force application (pressure).Â
]]>An Inventor’s Notebook, Rubber Bands, and Stolen Bouncy Balls....
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]]>“What are your goals for this thing?”
]]>“What are your goals for this thing?” I keep getting asked. My answer is simple: I’m trying to get the CTM Band into as many hands of people who could benefit from it as possible. This week we took a BIG step forward in doing that! The Oakland Raiders medical staff, Western Michigan University Track and Field Teams, and George Washington University Swim and Dive Teams all started work with the CTM Band (check out our instagram page @ctm.band). And we couldn’t be more excited. Let’s go!
]]>Hey everyone!
First off, thank you SO much for the incredible support.......
]]>Hey everyone!
First off, thank you SO much for the incredible support we’ve received in launching this new kind of tool. My name is Kyle Bowling and I’m a sports chiropractor practicing in Louisville, KY. I’ve created the CTM Band to offer a new way in which we approach myofascial release. Shoot me an email anytime at Kyle@CTM.Band if you have any questions and be sure to check back with our website and blog for updates on our products!Â
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