CME, the acronym for Cuevas Medek Exercise, is a physical therapy approach for infants 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 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 physical therapist, during the early seventies in Caracas, Venezuela.
The fundamental assumption of CME 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:
1) The early recognition of the motor developmental abnormality.
2) The existence of brain’s recovery potential.
3) The timely application of a reliable approach of motor therapy.
4) The constant execution of appropiate exercise until achieve total motor control.