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What are CME Exercises?

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What are CME Exercises?

WHAT ARE CME EXERCISES?

CME (Cuevas Medek Exercise) therapy includes the surname of Ramón Cuevas, who developed this method, and the Spanish word “Medek.” It is an abbreviation of the Spanish phrase “Método Dinámico de Estimulación Kineética” (Dynamic Method of Kinetic Stimulation). CME Exercises are a treatment method applied to facilitate a child’s gradual learning of control reactions against gravity. It includes a series of exercises requested by the physician for CME Exercises.

HISTORY OF CME EXERCISES

CME Exercises were developed in 1972 by Chilean physiotherapist Ramón Cuevas in Venezuela. Cuevas was in search of a new and effective method to treat motor development disorders in infants and children. Realizing that traditional physical therapy approaches could be insufficient in some cases, Cuevas developed a new approach based on his observations and experiences regarding infants' motor development. CME Exercises emerged as a result of this research and application. By proposing that the activation of underlying healing potential is provoked (stimulated), he applied this idea to his special dynamic exercises. He developed an exercise method that would enable the emergence of developmental postural functional reactions, regardless of damage symptoms and levels of consciousness. It has been observed that sitting and standing exercises, when provoked (stimulated) by the therapist, triggered stronger and more functional reactions against gravity.

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CME EXERCISES

Focusing on facilitating the actions learned by the patient against environmental challenges leads to plasticity in the neurons of the brain and allows for the reorganization of neuronal connections in the brain.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF CME EXERCISES?

  • To provide functional motor control for children experiencing delays in motor skills, allowing them to achieve the highest level of independence in gross motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking.
  • To aim for the extraction of automatic responses related to postural and functional motor control in the children’s brains.
  • To stimulate the children’s neuro-muscular system for the emergence of underdeveloped motor functions.
  • To develop the child’s muscle tone, increase flexibility and mobility, reduce the need for surgical procedures, and aim to advance the child in functional motor skills.

WHO ARE CME EXERCISES APPLIED TO?

CME therapy is a physical therapy approach applied to children who are unable to show normal motor development due to known or unknown syndromes affecting the central nervous system, such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome, Hydrocephalus, and Ataxia. This approach does not impose a limitation for using the exercise program due to the presence of intellectual disabilities, and it can be applied from as early as three months old until the child is able to control independent walking.

PRE-THERAPY ASSESSMENT FOR CME

When a child experiencing delays in motor functions comes to us, we first administer a test prepared for CME Exercises. This test records which motor skill the child cannot perform, how much developmental delay they experience in motor skills, their tone, information about prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal conditions, reflexes, and other significant information. Based on the information obtained from the assessment, we create a treatment plan and determine the child’s functional exercises.