The methodology
Developed by Gerti Motavalli, PT and Dr Gad Alon, PT, NISE-Stim combines surface, spinal and functional muscular electrical stimulation. Gentle impulses activate the nervous system and muscles, layered onto everyday activity.
Method · NISE-Stim
NISE-Stim.
Non-invasive spinal cord and muscle stimulation — gentle electrical impulses that wake up the nervous system and muscles, with parents trained to continue it at home.
What it is & why
NISE-Stim, in plain terms.
NISE-Stim is a non-invasive spinal-cord and neuromuscular stimulation method (developed by Gerti Motavalli, PT MPT, with Dr Gad Alon, PT PhD). Gentle impulses activate the nervous system while the child simply plays, reads or rests.
Why we use it. It strengthens the nervous system’s communication pathways between sessions — and parents are trained to run it safely at home.
Activates the nervous system non-invasively
Strengthens muscles & neuromuscular coordination
Supports breathing & circulation
Usable at home — child can play during it
The how & the why
The how, and the why.
Why it helps
It improves muscle strength, coordination and movement control, and can support autonomic functions like breathing and circulation. Because parents are trained to apply it, therapy continues at home — even while a child reads or watches TV.
Candidacy
Is NISE-Stim right for my child?
Which children benefit?
Children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other motor challenges — NISE-Stim is layered into the wider plan.
Can we do it at home?
Yes — parents are trained to apply it safely, typically starting at 20 minutes and building towards up to three 30-minute sessions a day.
Is it safe?
Applied as trained, yes — the impulses are gentle and the protocol is set by your therapist. We coordinate with your medical team.
"When stimulation is gentle, safe and parent-led, the nervous system gets the one thing it needs most — more practice."
— Lead physiotherapist, Apexa QLA
Part of The ORCA Method
Every method at Apexa is one instrument in a larger whole — see how NISE-Stim fits the overall ORCA architecture.
Part of one architecture
NISE-Stim inside the ORCA Method.
NISE-Stim works at its best inside the ORCA structure — applied at the right time, for the right goal, alongside active movement and loading for your child.