Kelsey Nakata

Kelsey was born and raised on the island of Oahu, in Mililani Town.

Kelsey started his career practicing in West Los Angeles for 7 years at Schlink & Associates Physical Therapy.  There, he had the opportunity to treat professional athletes, celebrities, and weekend warriors.  He received extensive mentoring and gathered a foundation of knowledge from Michael Schlink, MA, PT, OCS.  Kelsey specialized in spinal dysfunction and the assessment and treatment of muscle imbalances and trunk stabilization. He also treated neuropathic disorders / sympathetic maintained pain phenomenon.  The Watkins Spine Group, Kerlan-Jobe Institute, and Cedars Sinai Medical Center referred a large number of patients.

Kelsey moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 2019, and opened Currents Physical Therapy + Wellness in August of 2021.

Working with patients to recover from injury and return to their desired activity is what drives Kelsey. He is compassionate and takes pride in being able to listen carefully to patients.  Kelsey incorporates concepts from Vladimir Janda, Shirley Sahrmann, Nikolai Bogduk, Michael Schlink and Mark Kozuki. Upon careful assessment, Kelsey prioritizes treatment of underlying muscle imbalances through precise manual therapy and neuromuscular retraining techniques.

Kelsey had the opportunity to work under the guidance of Mark Kozuki, PT, DPT, OCS during his final year of Physical Therapy school. Mark served as the team Physical Therapist for the World Surf League (WSL) and has provided care for elite surfers. It was through this experience that Kelsey developed his clinical thought process and also developed precise manual therapy techniques designed to improve the firing patterns and sequencing of muscle activation.

Kelsey was a former collegiate baseball pitcher at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He studied exercise science and was involved with summer research investigating the effects of cardiovascular exercise on blood clotting factors. Kelsey has always been interested in human movement and the intricacies of the body and mind.

Kelsey enjoys spending time with his Mini-Aussie – Poppy, reading, hiking, surfing, and golfing. He is involved with the local surf and golf community.

Kelsey is currently accepting new patients.

• University of Southern California
  2009-2012
  Doctorate of Physical Therapy
• Willamette University
  2005-2009
  Bachelor of Arts — Exercise Science

• Titleist Performance Institute Certified – Medical Level 2