By focusing on gross motor skills, the Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME) has created a therapy approach that helps children become independent and gain self-confidence. For over 40 years, CME therapy has been tested worldwide, with a vast majority of patients improving significantly after only a few months of therapy. NAPA Centre, a world-renowned paediatric therapy clinic, offers CME therapy to patients worldwide from our multiple clinic locations and through our intensive therapy pop up sessions.
Children with movement disorders and physical disabilities that leave them unable to stand, sit, or walk on their own are finding a way to become more independent through the Cuevas Medek Exercise technique. The therapy works on a relationship built between the physiotherapist and the child. The therapist works with the child and their parents to gather information about their disorder, and also what their motor capabilities are at the beginning of their therapy.
After testing the child and building a relationship with them, the physiotherapist moves into the therapy, easing their patient through a select rotation exercises — there are 3,000 in total to choose from — that are formulated to build the patient’s strength and stretch out weak muscles.
As the child progresses through the physiotherapy, the physiotherapist will progress to the set of gross motor skills that are imperative to that child’s development. As soon as the child is able to stand, both with or without ankle support, the Cuevas Medek Exercise therapy moves into floor exercises. These exercises, done with various pieces of equipment, were created to give the child a sense of balance and agility, helping them to grow and reinforce the physiotherapy they have gone through.
The Cuevas Medek Exercise therapy is introduced to children as young as three months old to better aid the child in developing their core muscles. Through vigorous sessions on a daily schedule over the course of several months, most children see a marked improvement in their ability to stand, sit, and walk on their own.
Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME) is a physiotherapy approach for children suffering abnormal developmental motor evolution caused by a known or unknown non-degenerative syndrome affecting the central nervous system. This therapy can be applied to children from the age of 3 months until they achieve and control independent walking. Because the CME physiotherapy practitioner needs to expose the infant to the influence of gravity, by providing progressive distal support, the use of this therapy may be limited by the child’s size and weight.
This approach was created and developed by Ramon Cuevas, Chilean physiotherapist, during the early seventies in Caracas, Venezuela. The fundamental assumption of CME physiotherapy is that developmentally compromised infants need to reinforce their natural recovery potential. This underlying property of the central nervous system continues to propel the developmental process even after the sequelae are established. The natural reaction of the “recovery potential” alone, cannot lead the compromised child out of the abnormal motor developmental situation. Therefore it is crucial to begin motor therapy at the same time the first signs of delayed motor function appear. The final level of motor independence achieved by the child will depend on the following:
Provoke the appearance of absent automatic motor functions
Child’s cooperation and motivation are not requisites in CME Physiotherapy
Expose the child to the natural influence of the force of gravity with gradual progression to distal support
Stretching maneuvers are integrated into the CME Physiotherapy
High muscle tone condition in the lower extremities is not an obstacle to stimulate standing position control
A trial period is proposed to demonstrate the short term results of CME Physiotherapy
NAPA Centre offers CME therapy in both intensive and hourly formats. The benefits of CME have been astounding. Our very own Rebecca Weiss is a CME trained physiotherapist and is now the Director of CME Services at NAPA. For more information of CME, view the official website HERE . If you are interested in learning more about how CME therapy at NAPA may benefit your child or loved one, please contact us.
