Did you hear about CME therapy and its benefits for pediatric Neurorehabilitation? Read this article to gain insights about Cuevas Medek Exercises and its benefits.
Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME) is a dynamic technique used in physical and occupational therapy aimed at provoking improved postural responses in children with neurological problems to promote progress toward developmental milestones. It is the most impactful Neurorehabilitation therapy used for children with developmental problems like cerebral palsy, down syndrome, hypotonia, etc. This therapy is developed by Ramon Cuevas in 1972 and the basic aim of it is to create a method of exercises that will provoke the automatic postural responses from the motor delayed children, despite of their neurological damage and level of awareness.
Treatment Approaches
Each child is different and presents neurological challenges that are unique to them. The job of the CME therapist is to determine what type of treatment is best suited to the child’s needs and approaches accordingly to meet those needs.
CME therapy primarily consists of a series of very specific exercises designed to strongly provoke the child’s automatic righting responses. The treatment approach introduced by the therapist mainly aims to help the child learn to work against the influence of gravity (thought to be the driving force behind the successful movement). As the movement responses of the child to the Cuevas Medek Exercises improve, the child develops improved skills like head and trunk control, walking and standing, etc.
Therefore, it can be said that CME therapy offers the best intervention for each child with developmental problems. This therapy is designed to allow the child to experience new sensations through posture and movement, which they cannot do themselves. Below a clear overview of the focuses of the CME therapy approach are mentioned. Let’s take a look through them!
The physiotherapists working with children focuses on:
Improving the gross motor skills of children with movement disabilities starting from 4 months age
Aims to train postural adjustments in children that lead to sitting, walking, and standing
Decreases the support given to the child from proximal to distal, in order, to make the child react to gravity
Uses specialized equipment (like set of boxes) to effectively provide CME therapy
Repeats exercises until the child’s body react automatically to them for keeping balance
Children who get highly benefited from CME therapy suffer from neurorehabilitation problems like physical, sensory/cognitive difficulties, etc.
Why CME Therapy Approach Is Different?
CME therapy primarily aims to provoke the appearance of absent and automatic motor functions. It needs input by the therapist and an active motor output on the part of the child. Motor activities are generally stimulated to elicit the new actions and reactions that the child could not perform before. Once they learn these actions, they will learn skills such as sitting, walking, etc. Careful selection of exercises in CME therapy ensures that new motor skills are developed instead of facilitating what the child is already capable of doing.
CME therapy helps the child to gain consistent control in sitting, kneeling and standing. It acts as a temporary surrogate nervous system that assists the child to control their own balance, keeping their weight over their base of support. Active and dynamic stretching is done on a warm muscle in a functional method, maximizing therapy time and stretching activities. There is no passive range of motion in CME therapy. In fact, this is the most effective way to manipulate the child’s tight muscles that eventually lead to improved gross motor skills.
The fundamental assumption of CME therapy is that developmentally compromised children require to reinforce their natural recovery potential. This underlying property of the Center Nervous System continues to propel the developmental process even after the sequelae are established.
Where to Find Quality Support for CME Therapy?
You can get effective support for CME therapy in the pediatric neurorehabilitation centers in Dubai. The pediatric neurological rehabilitation centers in Dubai have reputation for offering top-class assistance and support for any kind of neurological problem in children. These medical centers are equipped with the best state-of-the-art tools that make implementing CME therapy more easy and effective.