My Working Day Cian McLoughlin,sports masseur, gives office workers relief from back and neck pain with on-site massages
My interest in sports massage stems from my own background in distance running. I get up at 8am and usually run for about an hour each morning. I won the Irish Marathon title last October.
I have been working for myself since August 2006. I start my office massages at about 10am each day, finishing at about 3pm. Office massages are popular with a lot of the big multinationals and with banks and insurance companies.
I try to keep to 15 minutes per seated massage, but when I come to a troublesome area, it is difficult to stick to this time. I aim to give equal attention and satisfaction to everyone. Office massage is undertaken on-site with the client fully clothed, using a specially designed massage chair. It is rapidly growing in popularity as it is a super "quick-fix" solution to neck and shoulder soreness. Usually at the end of a day of office massage, I am very tired and could well do with a quick-fix myself.
On a day-to-day basis, I mostly deal with my own private sports massage clients, usually doing house calls in the south Dublin area or else clients visit me at my clinic in Blackrock. The majority of my clients prefer evening appointments as they have day jobs. My evening "shift" usually starts about 5pm, and I try to get home before 8pm. I try to squeeze in a 40-60 minute run either before or after these treatments.
The required treatments predominantly involve sports massage, deep-tissue massage, stretching and related techniques to tone, relax, strengthen and repair muscle tissues, usually lasting one hour. Treatments include screening, assessment and educating clients about prevention and self-treatment.
My clients include athletes, rugby players, golfers, cyclists, bodybuilders, yoga practitioners, office workers, hockey players, labourers and soccer players. I get great satisfaction from the feeling that I am helping to alleviate pain, (legally) enhance their sports performance and/or improve their quality of life.
I try to follow my own advice and, when I have time, I get a massage once a week. I know from my experience as a competitive athlete that it is extremely important to have a therapist you can trust and who knows your particular problem areas, your likes and dislikes, someone who can relate to you and understand you. Usually my masseur treats me 30 minutes and I reciprocate by massaging him.
I am studying to be a fitness instructor through the University of Limerick. The course is three mornings a week and so leaves me sufficient time for treatments. Subjects such as resistance training and body conditioning are beneficial in rehabilitation and injury prevention for my clients.
I have worked on various sports events including the London Marathon 2001, Dublin Marathon 2000, 2001 and 2005.