This month’s client story is about one of my OG clients, Patrick Monahan.
Patrick has been seeing me for seven years, the majority of which has been regular maintenance to help him re-balance around his busy life/work schedule.
He is a supporter for Zoe’s Place, and in honour of that, a portion of all massages this month will be donated to the charity. If you feel led to help support the charity, this month we will have coin jars at both locations, or you can donate directly to Zoe’s Place by clicking here.
A Northerner Walks Into a Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy Clinic…
Seven years ago, a cheerful Northerner walked into my clinic because he couldn’t raise his right hand higher than his shoulder.
He’d recently decided to add breakdancing to his repertoire for his stand-up routine, and the regular practice had left his shoulder in quite a bit of pain, and without a lot of movement (he couldn’t lift his arm past 90′).
I should have known within five minutes what he did for a living – he had such an upbeat demeanour that I couldn’t help but smile while working on his shoulder. His constantly cheery expression made it impossible for me to read his face – even if it was a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.
After a few sessions close together (our recommendation if you’re suffering from a specific problem) he’d regained full movement in his arm and was able to put both arms straight over his head. I didn’t see him perform breakdancing moves in his stand-up, so I’m still not sure how comedy and breakdancing go together.
Hardest-Working Comedian & Supporter of Charities
During that time, I learned more about his very hectic day-to-day life and we’d come to the conclusion that long term, a regular maintenance massage was his preferred tool for helping manage himself.
He spends most of his time travelling around the country (and the world) to perform. As we speak, he’s just finished his fantastic shows up at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. As anyone who’s cricked their neck on holiday knows, sleeping in random places isn’t kind to the neck and shoulders.
He’s also a supporter of a number of charities, including Zoe’s Place, which provides specialised care for babies and infants with life-limiting illnesses. For the past few years, he’s run a marathon (yes, a marathon – usually London or Edinburgh) and the Great North Run to raise money for Zoe’s Place.
Then there’s the odd TV show performance, some of which can be quite physical.
If any of you caught Splash a few years ago (think Strictly but with diving), Patrick not only competed but did the most physically-demanding dive out of all the contestants that day.
And last but not least, he does quite a physical job.
Up on stage for sometimes hours, hopping up and down off the stage as he interacts with the audience, all with a smile on his face. And not just part-time. In fact, he was voted ‘Hardest Working Comedian for 2015’ by ents24.com (link goes to Patrick’s tour dates) for performing the highest number of venues!
Why Maintenance Massage?
Like many of our clients, with such a hectic schedule it can be hard to fit in all the self-care that would be needed for all the activities he performs. When asked why he comes for regular sports massage, and here’s what he said:
“I always have a regular sports massage from Leyton Sports Massage & recommend everyone to. I think it’s the safest & best way to keep your body maintained, especially after all the miles and distance we cover in everything at life. I would never drive me car round so much without a regular check up & service, so don’t neglect your body too!”
If you’re not already familiar with it, a maintenance massage is when someone comes in at regular intervals, just to stay on top of things.
Once a month is the most common interval, but it can be as often as fortnightly or as little as every 2 or 3 months. The frequency can go up and down depending on how demanding/strenuous your life and/or training gets. Some of our clients get the same thing every month, just to stay on top of things, but more often than not we’re designing the session around whatever specific niggle is bothering them that month.
Everyone Deserves a Massage
It’s easy to think you don’t ‘deserve’ a massage if there’s not something really bothering you at the moment. However, if you don’t have time to be doing the amount of stretching or maintenance you should do on your own, maintenance massage is a great way to take care of yourself.
I wanted to share Patrick’s story because he’s a great example of the kinds of clients we have – hard-working, big-hearted, and busy. It’s a joy and a privilege to help people live the lives they want and to help them enjoy the activities they love.
I’ve seen Patrick perform a few times, and his energy really is contagious! If you’d like to see him perform he regularly does so in London, and you can find details of his upcoming performances by following him on twitter @PatrickJMonahan or for more about him visit his website: https://patrickmonahan.co.uk/
Supporting Zoe’s Place
One of the main charities Patrick supports is Zoe’s Place, a charity that provides respite and palliative care for infants and babies with life-limiting illnesses. In honour of Patrick’s hard work in supporting Zoe’s Place, we’re donating a portion of all proceeds from September’s sessions to Zoe’s Place. If you’d like to help us raise more, we’ll have coin jars available at both locations, or you can donate directly to Zoe’s Place by clicking here.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s client story, and would love to know, what activities do you do that could leave you in need of a maintenance massage?
And for a little entertainment, here’s Patrick’s showreel:
