Paediatric Physical Therapy

At ABLE UK our physiotherapists support children who are born with or develop musculoskeletal or neurological conditions, physical therapy can help them attain their muscle strength and endurance. Physical therapy helps children to improve or achieve gross motor skills, improves balance and coordination.

The therapy also helps strengthen muscles and joints, reinforcing a child’s stability and positioning. Use of assistive devices, orthotics, mobility devices, variety of walkers, rollator, variety of splints , Wheelchair evaluation and prescription. Wheelchair training and teaching transfers.

Paediatric physical therapy may be required in certain conditions:

• Cerebral Palsy,
• Development delay,
• Down syndrome,
• Muscular dystrophies,
• Any other neurological, musculoskeletal, genetic or metabolic conditions affecting child’s developmental milestones.

Physical therapy helps to improve physical impairments by training and strengthening of child’s large muscles – those in the arms, legs, and abdomen. The goal of physical therapy is to maximize functional control of the body, or increase gross motor function.

Trained physical therapists identify mobility issues and determine the unique physical abilities and limitations of children, taking into account their age and cognitive functioning.

The therapist develops a course of treatment that includes exercises, stretches, and possibly assistive and adaptive equipment designed to achieve mobility.

The goal of physical therapy is to help individuals:

• develop coordination,
• build strength,
• improve balance,
• maintain flexibility,
• optimize physical functioning levels,
• maximize independence.

At ABLE UK we use the Cuevas Medek Exercises which is a psychomotor therapy based on dynamic challenging exercises, manually applied for children affected on their developmental motor functions. This therapy provides very concrete guidelines to stimulate babies in a total safe way, starting from two months of age to many years after birth.

CME stands for Cuevas Medek Exercise and was developed in Chile by Ramon Cuevas. It focuses on the connection between the brain and body, and the brain’s natural recovery potential. CME exercises are based on the principle of antigravity reactions with therapists providing support as distally (or as low) as possible. As the child works to remain stable, they can uncover missing or new motor skills using unconscious muscle control. You may also see your therapist use a variety of simple boxes or other tools designed specifically for CME exercises to provide new motor challenges for your child.

Key Characteristics of CME:

1. CME provokes the appearance of the absent, or NEW, motor functions
2. CME provokes automatic responses of motor control
3. CME exposes the body segments to the influence of gravity
4. CME promotes the use of distal support
5. A trial period is proposed to determine if CME will be an effective treatment option for your child

We offer Therapy Intensives for CME.

What is a therapy intensive?

A therapy intensive is an approach to therapy where a child is seen at an increased frequency and intensity over a predetermined amount of time (generally 1-2x/day for 1-2 weeks at a time – the specific frequency for each child may vary and will be determined in collaboration with your therapist/s). Therapy intensives may involve one or multiple disciplines including physical therapy and occupational therapy.

Why do a therapy intensive?

Research has shown that children with neurological impairments or other conditions impacting their motor development can benefit from therapy at a greater frequency than traditional monthly or even weekly therapy. Daily therapy can help children’s brains make new motor connections in a shorter period of time. CME specifically offers exercises that expose a child to gravity to provoke anti-gravity movements and are repetitive and proven to provoke new motor movements, particularly when used with an intensive model.