About me

I've been helping people stay active for over thirty years

Massage is just the current form of it. It started at university, where I taught aerobics and circuit classes while I was studying computing. It kept me fit and it earned me an income at the same time.

Then came years as an analyst programmer and team leader. I moved into hands-on work because I wanted to understand how the body works from the inside out, and I still think about it the way I thought about code. Something's not working the way it should. What's causing it? What do we change, and in what order?

It's not a bad way to approach a body in pain.

I've taught beginners to swim, and standing at the side of a pool with a nervous adult who won't put their face in the water teaches you something no textbook will: how to explain the same thing five different ways until one of them lands.

Different settings, same job. It's why the bone health work matters to me now. Staying active is one of the few things you have real control over as you get older, and hardly anyone is ever told that clearly.

What I actually do in the treatment room

I don't offer a standard massage where I work through a fixed routine regardless of what you come in with. Every session starts with an assessment: what's going on, when did it start, what makes it better or worse, what do you want to get back to doing.

From there I'll use whatever combination makes sense: soft tissue work, mobilisation, spinal manipulation, dry needling where the clinic location allows, or a conversation about what you should be doing between sessions. Sometimes the most useful thing I can give someone is a clear picture of what's happening in their body and why, and a simple plan for what to do about it. I'll explain what I find in plain words, in whatever way makes sense to you.

Relieving pain for the time you're on the table is the easy bit. The part I love is helping you understand what's going on, so you're not back every few weeks with the same problem.

A special interest in helping people age well

Over the years I've developed a particular focus on people who want to stay strong and mobile as they get older, and specifically on those managing osteopenia or osteoporosis. It's a population that's often told what not to do, and rarely told what they can and should do.

The evidence is clear: strength training, progressive loading and targeted balance work make a real difference to bone density and fracture risk. I'm currently adding a UK-SCA strength and conditioning qualification to bring more of that work directly into sessions. The goal is a body that's resilient for the long term, not a quick fix for this week's problem.

Later in 2026 I'll be launching an online programme for people who want to take a more active role in managing their bone health. If that's you, get in touch and I'll let you know when it's ready.

More about bone health →

I train too, and it shows in how I work

I run, I cycle. Outdoors in the Scottish Borders regardless of the weather (mostly), on the turbo when the weather defeats me. I walk my dogs in the hills above Peebles most days. I've completed 16 marathons, an Ironman in Whistler, Canada (2019) and my first ultra, The Guzzler's 50km Glass Half Full in Brisbane (2025). There's usually a race in the diary, and a sport and exercise science background shapes how I think about training, load and recovery.

I mention the races for one reason, I know what it feels like to train through tiredness, manage an injury without stopping altogether, and push a body past what feels comfortable. When you come in with a training-related problem, I'm not working from a textbook. I know what it's like to not want to stop.

I work with everyone from competitive endurance athletes to people getting back into exercise after injury, and plenty in between; over the years that's included professional rugby teams. The common thread is wanting to keep moving, and I understand that from my own training as much as my clinic work.