Armstrong Physiotherapy

21/02/2026

I am away this weekend engaging my brain at Horses Inside Out Conference - Soundness and Symmetry, with world class speakers and a chance to catch up with colleagues and peers.

A very handy car share with Liz Watt and lovely to see Sue Palmer (The Horse Physio).

3 days of extreme thinking 🤯 has commenced. 😎

15/02/2026

Pilates

Latest availability for pilates in Turriff. We have classes every Wednesday evening at St Ninians & Forglen Church during term time.

5.30pm 2 spaces
6.30pm 1 space
7.30pm 1 space

Send me a message to book a space, we start again this week - 18th Feb, for a 6 week block. Block booking £60.

Suitable for beginners and improvers, also suitable to those looking for help with suitable exercise for a variety of health conditions. I am a Chartered Physiotherapist and can adjust the exercise and workload to suit your needs in class.

14/02/2026

🎧🎼🎹🪇😊

Call for Participants in a Study to Discover the Effect of Tuning Fork Sound Therapy on Chronic Pain.

I am currently looking for 2 participants to take part in a study to measure the impact of 4 Tuning Fork sessions as part of a qualification with The British Academy of Sound Therapy. If you experience chronic pain, please contact me. You will be required to attend near Rothienorman once a week for 4 weeks and complete a ‘before’ and ‘after’ questionnaire. There is no fee for the sessions as I am still studying, although I ask for £10 per appointment to go towards rent of the clinic space. The answers you give will be anonymous and the results of the study will be available for you to view on The British Academy of Sound Therapy website.
Each session will last for around an hour and a half, and is like a private sound bath.

If you received my email regarding looking for volunteers for the sound therapy, this is part of my case study requirement but you can still get in touch to come along if you do not have chronic pain, even if you are just wondering what I am up to 😊

Just send a message if you're interested and want more information.

12/02/2026

HAY SOAKING TRUTHS 🟨💧

There seems to be some nutribaloney about hay and whether or not it should be soaked circulating again.

Some Q&As to help...
__________
Q: Does soaking hay strip it of nutrients?
A: Yes - that's the whole point (unless you're soaking for 10-15 mins for respiratory health) - we're long- soaking to reduce BOTH calories (energy) & water soluble carbs (sugar & fructan)
___________
Q: Can we replace the useful nutrients lost e.g. minerals?
A: Yes - that's why we add a balancer or vitamin & mineral supplement to the diet, because soaking may reduce some mineral levels
___________
Q: Do we soak for just sugar reduction?
A: No No No No!!!! For overweight horses & ponies or those with insulin dysregulation we soak hay to reduce calories (energy) as well as water soluble carbs (WSC) = sugar AND fructan!!

(Fructan is not sugar. It's made up of sugar units joined by bonds that are not broken by digestive enzymes, but fermented by gut microbes.
The reason some may get confused about fructan is they either think it's a sugar or they think it doesn't affect insulin response... both are incorrect).
________
Q: Is it safe to test hay for just sugar & starch and then feed it to laminitis / ID / EMS horses & ponies if it's under 12%?
A: Absolutely, categorically NO!! This is really important. Both calories and fructan (WSC) can be highly variable in hay and you could cause laminitis by feeding unsoaked hay of unknown energy (calorie) and WSC content. Furthermore, analysing hay is only an estimation of what that particular sample contained and results should be used with care.

To focus solely on sugar and starch and insulin response and forget calories (dietary energy) and body fat level for all horses and ponies - especially laminitics - is plain bad advice and shows a complete lack of nutrition knowledge and understanding.
______
Q: Do I need to be worried about soaking hay, about mineral losses??
A: Absolutely not. We just need to balance soaked hay with suitable products. Soaking hay is sometimes the only way we can get unhealthy overweight, laminitis-prone, EMS/ID horses & ponies to lose weight without half-starving them.

I hope this helps to calm the worry about soaking hay and clarify some nutribaloney.

Feel free to share 🐴🍏🟨💧

10/02/2026

When you have to go to work, but forgot there were school holidays. You can just take the child and pony with you so they get a lesson while you work 🤗

Jen Morris Coaching 👌

29/01/2026

This is the DEFRA consultation we have been waiting for to reform the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. It is for all stakeholders that are interested in animal healthcare, so for owners, and practitioners as well as training and welfare groups.
Please consider taking the time to read through and respond

🗓️ UPDATE 🗓️

RAMP welcomes the news today that DEFRA have launched a public consultation which includes proposals for the reform of the outdated Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

The consultation marks another step in our work to regulate the musculo-skeletal professions in animal practice. We would encourage all professional and owners to take time to review and respond to this consultation before March 25th 2026.

👉🏻 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-the-veterinary-surgeons-act-1966

25/01/2026

08/01/2026

What are your top tips for keeping your horse moving on these snow days? There are many different restrictions on horse management depending on where you keep your horse, so I expect you all have different routines to try and keep your horse healthy and happy when the weather reminds us we live in .

These are my suggestions

* try and allow some turnout if possible (I know it's not always possible)
* when turned out, place your forage and water away from each other so your horse has to move back and forth
* use warm water, flavoured water to encourage them to go to the water regularly. This keeps them moving, and helps reduce the risk of colic when they may be eating more dry forage and drinking less
*carrot stretches, also called dynamic mobilisation exercises, are so beneficial but especially so when your horse may be spending more time stabled.
* hand grooming, regularly remove rugs, and run your hands all over your horse as if you were grooming them. This allows you to check them over, but also acts as a gentle massage/something to do with your horse when you can't get out and ride.
*if you are able to ride when the temps are low make sure to extend your warm up and cool down times.

Let me know your own winter tips in the comments ☃️

DM the word CARROTS if you want to see my short video on carrot stretches

29/12/2025

This polework session worked really well today. Get in touch if you're interested in having a ridden physio appointment/exercise session.

Your horse must have already had an appointment with me for assessment and treatment planning.

03/11/2025

Is anyone available on Wednesday morning this week or next week and able to travel to Rothienorman for a free sound therapy session? I start case studies for my training in tuning fork therapy in a couple of weeks. So currently just looking to add some practice sessions before then. It doesn't matter if you're into sound therapy, or a skeptic 😎

I will post more info on case studies very soon!

Sound therapy can be helpful for many different things. The vibrations from sound can be used to alter your mood, you'll know this from playing your favourite tunes up loud. Sound therapy can help with anxiety, fears, phobias, unhelpful beliefs, negative self talk, overthinking, pain, to list just a few.

This is not related to Physiotherapy practice it's a completely different therapy that I am enjoying learning. I will have a separate qualification, registration and insurance for this.

Send me a message if you would like to come and see how it works 😎🎶

26/10/2025

Pilates

I'm almost back to work after some annual leave. Just a quick update on classes before I forget.

I have space available in Turriff we have classes every Wednesday evening at St Ninians & Forlgen Church during term time.

5.30pm 1 space
6.30pm 3 spaces
7.30pm 3 spaces

Send me a message to book a space, we start again this week - 29th October.

Suitable for beginners and improvers, also suitable to those looking for help with suitable exercise for a variety of health conditions. I am a Chartered Physiotherapist and can adjust the exercise and workload to suit your needs in class.