waterdrop ripples to reflect the ripple effect of mind to body

Registered Osteopath Islington

Kelly Mckay is registered osteopath based in Upper Street, Islington.  Providing specialist treatment for joint and muscle pain. Get in Touch for ways to accelerate your healing.

Osteopathic consultation room
Registered osteopath Islington

Registered Osteopath: Islington

  • Neals Yard Remedies: 295 Upper Street, Islington, N1 2TU.
  • The Canonbury Natural Health Clinic: 265 Upper Street, Islington, N1 2UQ.

Osteopathy (Bodywork)

Puzzle of a lower back to be solved by a registered osteopath
Understanding the bigger picture

All registered Osteopaths practice a form of bodywork, however, practice styles and complementary skill sets vary between practitioners.

Kelly’s practice style offers combinations of Structural (traditional) Osteopathy (traditional joint and muscles manipulation techniques, fascial work, soft tissue release), traditional massage techniques, cranial osteopathy and Life Coaching. Consequently, her techniques are applied through a body-mind perspective where adjustments in one area is expected impact upon another. This can be used to optimise healing to outcomes.

Your first 1 hour consultation with Kelly is key to gathering all of the necessary information. It contributes to making a more accurate diagnosis before identifying a suitable course of treatment. She’ll begin with a thorough case history, where you’ll have ample opportunity to discuss the details surrounding the onset and history of your condition. Then, once the main factors have been identified, Kelly will begin the physical examination, diagnosis and treatment.

Afterwards, an examination will typically begin with you standing, followed by you laying down for passive movement assessments. Orthopaedic, neurological and postural assessments may be conducted before your treatment. Kelly will uses a combination of  Structural and Cranial Osteopathic Techniques depending on  your specific needs and personal preferences.

Osteopathic Follow-up Advice

Torso of registered osteopath (Kelly Mckay) next to model spine at BodyMind Gateway.
Body-mind approach

Exercises, advice, follow up visits and treatment frequency will be discussed towards the end of your first visit (with time allowed for any questions that you may have). Treatments will vary between individuals depending on the specific needs. However, occasionally, it may be necessary to refer you back to your GP (or other primary care professional) for further clinical investigations such as x-rays, MRI, and other tests.

As a registered osteopath, treatments are in keeping with a holistic care approach.  So this means a whole body and mind approach alongside anything from advice and support in understanding the bigger picture (including the emotional narrative behind your symptoms) possible lifestyle changes, ergonomic advice, helpful exercise approaches, use of ice and heat to encourage more rapid healing, postural advice and stress management to optimise your wellbeing.

‘I have been a therapist for over 25 years now and still really enjoy helping people to release tension, stress and pain — it’s extremely rewarding. I also value empowering others with the necessary tools and understanding to create improvements to their own health and wellbeing. Essentially, I help people to achieve physical ease and emotional wellbeing …naturally. 

Are you in need of an integrated MindBody approach?’

~Kelly Mckay (Registered Osteopath) Islington

Physical Interconnections

Kelly Mckay - registered osteopath Islington - treating a patient with cranial osteopathy.
Cranial Osteopathy Islington

It’s important to understand that living tissues expresses in accordance to our unique experiences and pre-dispositions. This can be described as an Involuntary Mechanism reflected through the organs, tissues and Membranous System (or connective) tissue. It’s through this thin, yet strong interconnected covering of the body’s organs, muscles, tendons and bones that much of synchronicity and reciprocal flow of the body can be felt. Physical stresses, strain and tension can interfere with the fluidity and ease of this expression. These interferences can be palpated or picked up by Kelly using both a Structural and Cranial Osteopathic Approach Cranial Osteopathic approaches. 

Kelly will observe, palpate and aim to pick up on subtle changes in shape, tension, stress and strain reflected through this involuntary expression throughout the body. Subsequently, this will form the basis of treating a wide range of dysfunctions an pain. It is the releasing and rebalancing of these areas of restriction, strain and dis-ease that can reinstate optimum conditions for your health and wellbeing.

The BodyMind Approach

Stones balancing vertically to illustrate balance required by well-being (as depicted by Kelly Mckay - registered osteopath)..
Working towards greater balance.

It’s generally not considered a good idea to ignore pain, discomfort, unexplained limitations to movement or other sudden mechanical changes! When your body begins to express physical symptoms or changes, it’s attempting to communicate a pivotal change to your health and wellbeing (which may be of real significance further down the line!). Ignoring symptoms may lead to chronic pain and other symptoms. In other words ‘body talk‘ by way of physical symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that your optimum state of balance has shifted.

Often, the onset of symptoms or ‘back story’ can provide valuable information as to why you might be suffering in the first place. Your physical symptoms may be highlighting important  psycho-emotional maintaining factors. The key here is to connect the emotional narrative with the physical in a way that resonates as truth. So it’s useful to consider what you were doing around the time of onset? How we’re you feeling emotionally? What might was worrying you a the time?

Early Intervention

As with most conditions, early diagnosis can be necessary to fully restoring your health and physical comfort. It can be a crucial step towards avoiding more serious developments. Therefore, early intervention may significantly reduce the long term use (and reliance) on anti-inflammatory or painkilling medications and chronic states of I’ll health. Kelly can provide you with an early diagnosis, treatment and self care geared towards wellbeing.

Sometimes, interferences to your health can sometimes take more time to recover from – particularly where symptom have become more chronic in nature. Fortunately, taking a holistic approach that considers multiple levels of your symptom picture can can be a game changer in achieving the most desirable outcome. Kelly is able to offer you expert hands on care supported by  a knowledgeable listening ear, understanding and advice that has your wellbeing at heart.

Would you like to improve your function and relieve your pain (while uncovering the root cause)? Contact me today with your enquiry.

Osteopathic Training

Kelly Mckay - registered Osteopath Islington treating a sitting patient.
Osteopathic treatment

Kelly qualified from the University College of Osteopathy (formerly the British School of Osteopathy) London Bridge in 2001 after four years of training (becoming a fully registered osteopath). In 2003, she began another two years of post graduate training at the Osteopathic Centre for Children. Completing a highly specialised paediatric training (using the cranial approach) enabled her to effectively incorporate treatments for both expectant mothers and children into her general practice. 

In 2019 Kelly integrated Life Coaching into her practice after becoming a certified life coach, CBT, counselling and NLP practitioner. She now enjoys running a general practice with a unique MindBody approach that aims to tackle both physical and emotional contributing factors.

Osteopathic Registration & Insurance

registered osteopath authorisation mark for Keely Mckay (registered osteopath)
Osteopathic Registration

Kelly has been a registered osteopath (with The General Osteopathic Council, registration number: 4645) since 2001.
If you have
Private Health Insurance, then it’s likely that your treatments with Kelly are covered. Check with your health provider before attending. Kelly’s osteopathic registration details will also be displayed on your receipts.

Get in Touch

Looking for a registered osteopath in Islington? Send your enquiry via the contact page, email: info@bodymindgateway.net or call Neal’s Yard Remedies on: 020 7359 4149.

Online booking enquiries and calls will be followed up with an email confirming your details and relevant clinic  information

Alternatively, please text 07862 732 112 for a call back.

What Clients Say…

“Kelly McKay is simply the best Osteopath I’ve ever seen. She’s more than that, she’s a wonderful healer and life coach. Her calming energy means I always walk away feeling more positive about life. She’s incredibly wise, and she helps my body to rebalance and reduces my pain. An angel on earth.”

Justine. J ~

“I came to Kelly in the first place with neck pain and a very stiff upper back, thinking that alignment or posture and constant guitar playing could be the reason. 

Kelly immediately pointed out how I was holding tension in my body also due to my mind pattern (of constantly being on the go, being stuck in my head and really high stress levels).

As we started to address this together, it slowly started to shift. Kelly is phenomenal at spotting the ‘trouble areas’. She is very intuitive and I always walk out feeling calm and motivated to keep going on my journey to become more balanced. 

I highly recommend Kelly for mind, body and soul.“

Malin. A ~

“I had my first treatment with Kelly more than 10 years ago when I was a school teacher and she has supported my physical and emotional health ever since. Now, as a therapist myself, I appreciate how much her wisdom and compassion also work to facilitate the healing of mind and body. Kelly is an awesome practitioner.”

Helena. B~​

Registered Osteopath (Islington) & Life Coaching serving:

Upper Street Islington ▪️ Highbury ▪️Canonbury ▪️ Angel ▪️Clerkenwell ▪️Barbican ▪️Essex Road ▪️Highgate ▪️Hackney ▪️Haringey ▪️Camden ▪️Online Life Coaching for access worldwide.

A Mind & Body Approach.