05 September 2013
The Muscle Clinic is preparing for lift-off with the strength of People Power!
The first of its kind in Ireland, the Anti Gravity treadmill based at the Muscle Clinic in Clontarf not only helps elite athletes to maximise their performance but it is changing the lives of people suffering the debilitating effects of Stroke, Parkinsons Disease and even obesity.
The machine uses NASA technology to allow for weightless training in order to reduce the risk of stress-related injuries, while allowing athletes to train harder, faster, and smarter in a safe, controlled environment. Remember what it was like to weigh 50 pounds? No? Well, just slip into a pair of skintight neoprene shorts, zip yourself into a pressure-controlled chamber, and prepare for lift off. Anti-gravity treadmills, like the AlterG at the Muscle Clinic, are not only taking the aches and pains out of cardiovascular training by “unweighting” runners from 20 to 100 percent of their bodyweight, one percent at a time but are bringing pain relief, mobility and a new lease of life to people with chronic illnesses.
The treadmill has been playing a pivotal role in the recovery of marathon runners and other athletes such as former Ireland’s rugby captain, Brian O’Driscoll but with its unweighting technology it is also changing lives.
Sixty-five-year old Caroline Lyons was completely immobile after undergoing a complete knee replacement six months ago, now she can walk unaided and has no more pain."On a scale of one to 10 the pain was 20. I couldn’t sleep and I was walking with a stick and couldn’t manage the stairs, so my GP referred me to Muscle Clinic and the Anti-Gravity Machine. I can’t believe how much it has changed my life. I used to not be able to lie down the pain was so bad, now I can run up and down the stairs and my pain is gone. I really can’t say enough about this fantastic machine. I want to spread the word,” she said.Now the founder of the clinic Pat Byne is using Ireland’s first Crowd Funding platform Linked Finance as a springboard to expand the premises.Crowd Funding is a new initiative to Ireland where businesses can apply to have their loans fully funded by members of the public through a new online company called Linked Finance.
In order to extend the premises and purchase up to date equipment the Muscle Clinic has turned to Crowd Funding to get a loan of €10,000 (they have 40% of the loan to date).
Since Linked Finance commenced in March 2013 more than half a million euro has been raised by Linked Finance and is ready to be loaned out to more businesses throughout Ireland seeking credit now.
Peter O’Mahony who runs the Laughter Lounge in Dublin set up Linked Finance with the backing of prominent businessmen Kingsley Aikens, Bobby Kerr and Feargal Quinn.
Mr O’Mahony said: “This concept is new to Ireland, but is a successful method for SME funding in the UK. It is a simple way to inject cash into supporting small to medium sized enterprises, bypassing the often restrictive and cumbersome banking system. We are delighted that a business as innovative as the Muscle Clinic has decided to come on board, we know it will prove very popular with our lenders.”
Founder of the Muscle Clinic Pat Byrne said: “We decided to go down the Crowd Funding route with Linked Finance because of all it has to offer. It is much more of a personable experience than you would have with the banks. We are not just a number, we are a company with a heartbeat and through crowd funding we feel we are being understood.”
Peter concluded: “The aim of Linked Finance is not only to provide investment, but to build strong business relationships, as a company’s lenders become its customers, ambassadors and salespeople.”
For more information on becoming a borrower or lender visit linkedfinance.com.
I’m not sure who the first person was to coin that phrase about Simon Harris our new Taoiseach but it certainly is “stuck” onto him now. When the phrase is used do you think it is me...