Galt Massage Therapy
Neuromuscular Integration and Structural Alignment (NISA) is a deep tissue technique that works directly on the fascia of the body. The fascia is the connective tissue in the body that holds everything in place and gives you your shape. It is a system of non-stretchy bands and sheets that wraps around everything and forms a framework for your cells.
Fascia can become distorted, hardened or adhered to other nearby structures as a result of:
Distorted fascia can lead to:
In treatment, the therapist stretches, softens, and frees this tissue.
NISA provides long lasting changes to chronic postural habits, and most clients feel increased range of motion and less restriction after one or two treatments.
NISA is a structural alignment technique that is a softer, more gentle derivative of Rolfing. It can be performed in individual treatments, or done in a specific series of twelve weekly sessions with a direct focus of improving the person’s posture.
The NISA Structural Alignment Series
These twelve weekly sessions work systematically through the body to re-align the posture and are a great help to someone who is making a big change in their life. As we know, the mind and body are intimately connected; postural holding patterns are linked to emotional holding patterns. When a person wants to change their direction in life and/or discard their negative attitudes and baggage, changing the way they carry their body can ameliorate that process.
For the series, the client sets out goals in the beginning. They may be physical and/or internal (emotional, behavioral), and don’t necessarily need to be shared. The therapist and client then work together to reach these goals within the framework of the twelve sessions. The therapist works on the physical component (with the client doing stretches/exercises at home) and the client works on processing the emotional component.
Imagine that your fascia is like a knit sweater. An injury at the hip area can pull and cause distortions and imbalances in the shoulder. Treating the shoulder would only treat the symptom.