MEDEK (Cuevas MEDEK Exercise) is a type of physiotherapy treatment for children with Motor Delay. This type of therapy may benefit children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, hypotonia, global developmental delay, spinal cord lesions, chromosomal abnormalities, or acquired brain injury.
MEDEK is an abbreviation that stands for Dynamic Method of Kinetic Stimulation in Spanish, and this CME therapy was created by Ramon Cuevas. This form of physiotherapy is aimed at improving the gross motor skills of young children with movement disorders and physical disabilities.
Cuevas Medek exercises therapy comprises a number of specific CME exercises designed in series to effectively stimulate the child’s automatic righting responses. CME therapy trains young children on core movements, leading to sitting, standing, and walking.
Rather than being worked in isolation, muscles are trained to do these actions. Movement therapy is based on the idea that movement has an impact on brain development. The child learns to work against gravity, which is regarded to be the most important factor in successful movement. The child gains greater motor abilities such as head and trunk control, standing, and walking as their movement reactions to the exercises improve.
CME therapy practitioners and patients who have received the therapy claim that children with gross motor delays improved more than predicted in:
- Enhancing the gross motor skills of young children with physical disabilities and movement disorder from the age of 4 months and above
- Exposing the children to gravity’s natural effect while gradually progressing to distal support
- Initiating automatic postural reactions that aid in postural regulation, which is required for functional tasks
- Sitting, standing, and walking actions are practised
The therapist physically manipulates the child during CME therapy to stretch out tight muscles and teach them in groups. The child eventually gains control over his or her trunk as a result of these adjustments. To accomplish basic gross motor skills including sitting, standing, and walking, you’ll need this.
On a table, the sessions begin. The floor is then used if the child can stand with ankle support. The exercises are performed until the child’s brain reacts automatically and the body reacts appropriately in situations where balance is essential.
What makes CME therapy so different?
CME therapy causes the emergence of previously absent and automated motor functions. Cuevas Medek exercises necessitate the therapist’s input as well as the child’s active motor output. Motor activities are stimulated in order to elicit new actions and reactions that the patient had previously been unable to do.
Based skills, such as sitting, are formed once these behaviours have been learnt. The exercises are carefully chosen to ensure that new motor skills are taught rather than facilitating (or making simpler) what the children can already accomplish. To progress with CME therapy, the child’s cooperation and motivation are not required. Distraction is, in fact, essential. Motivation isn’t one of them. Patients are placed in circumstances that activate their natural recovery impulses until they are able to accomplish a task on their own.
Skills are developed through exposing body segments to the effects of gravity, with the goal of eventually managing the kid using distal support. Holding the child as low on their body as possible activates the infant’s missing anti-gravity control, allowing them to defy gravity. This aids in the development of consistent control during sitting, kneeling, and standing. The therapist functions as a surrogate nervous system for the child, assisting them in maintaining their balance and retaining their weight over their base of support.
Are you looking for CME therapy in Dubai? Schedule an appointment at Hope AMC with our Cuevas Medek Therapy specialists, consult for your child and/or young adult, the CME® formal assessment, and help your child for quick recovery of the conditions.
