Muscle Liberator Trigger Point Percussion Tool & Weekly Online Training

This product is only available as part of our 80+ hour yearly training membership (60+ massage CEUs).
Please visit our CTB Membership Page to view details and payment schedule rules or join us for a free live webinar to learn more!

The Muscle Liberator is a variable-speed percussion tool for trigger point therapy. Its rapid percussive action is incredibly effective at releasing trigger points and softening taut fibers, in a fraction of the time that would be required with manual methods. This tool was designed by Coaching The Body Institute for use in our clinical sessions, and therapists and clients are raving about its effectiveness.

Literally, a few seconds of treatment with this tool can surpass results from 20 minutes of tedious manual compression of muscles. The high frequency percussive strokes cause mini-stretches in muscle fibers that distort and release faster than the neurological spindle response. Percussion with a manual rubber mallet was cited in Travell & Simons as a very effective way of releasing taut fibers. Percussion is a well known component of many bodywork styles, including Thai massage. However, as compared with manual percussion, this tool steps the technique up to a whole new level.

The Technology of Muscle Release

Trigger points are resistant to conventional approaches to muscle stretching. When fibers with trigger points are stretched, the muscle is likely to trigger its pain referral pattern, which then causes the CNS to engage the very muscle we're trying to stretch. We need some form of neurological distraction to bypass the body's misguided protective mechanisms that are keeping the muscle locked. The Muscle Liberator provides excellent distraction and quick micro stretches with its fast vibratory action, allowing the tissues to release quickly, without significant pain or discomfort.

Muscle spindles are the body's sensors that monitor stretch. They become dysfunctional in fibers with trigger points. Over time, muscles become locked in a hard, taut state, and become functionally weak. This presents a major barrier to bodyworkers who are attempting to restore normal resting length to taut fibers.

A good example of this is the middle and lower trapezius fibers, which have a tendency to harden and remain in a semi-stretched, dysfunctional state. They cause pain when we try to move the scapula toward the spine, so the shoulders become locked in a rounded posture. Shoulder, head and neck pain, and even forearm and hand pain are the inevitable result.

Waking these fibers up again with bodywork requires extensive, vigorous cross-fibering compression that can be hard on both client and therapist. The Muscle Liberator accomplishes this task in a fraction of the time and effort. Muscle fibers are cycled through literally thousands of contract/release cycles per minute.

Product Features

• Professional quality mechanism by Milwaukee, a highly respected pro tool company
• Percussion head of medium hard silicone, providing an ideal level of compression, yet forgiving around bony areas
• Universal Head Mount
• Variable speed, from a few strokes per second to 47 (2800 RPM)
• One rechargeable battery
• Charger (full charge in less than an hour)
• User's Guide by CTBI

Contraindications

• Not for use in sensitive tissues in the head and neck
• Should be avoided by individuals with extreme propensity for bruising, varicose veins
• Avoid direct contact with areas of existing injury or tissue damage (although muscles near an injury are likely to benefit greatly)

NOTE: CTB heads for Muscle Liberator™ are guaranteed free from defects for 30 days. Please review the written and video instructions on how to properly use the heads on your Muscle Liberator. Our heads are manufactured in professional molding equipment and are very unlikely to have defects, however, due to the nature of silicone as a material, if you use the tool with force at an angle to the surface you are treating, you might deform and crack the shaft of the head. Always ensure that you are working at a 90 degree angle, do not drag the head on clothing to a point that distorts, and use light pressure, letting the tool do the work. With these precautions, our heads last years - we use them successfully ourselves every day. If a head breaks within 30 days of receiving it, we will replace it free of charge. After that, you will need to purchase a replacement.