Moishy was lying on the table with his body supported by the tabletop…but his shoulders were up against the edge and his head was hanging over. But then, as soon as he sensed gravity begin to pull his head down, he pushed against it, lifting his chin to his chest. And even though he’s not typically so expressive, I could sense a look of delight and pride. The therapist helped Moishy do it again and again, and he never tired of this exercise. Each time he picked up his head, he was so proud! He just loved this little game.
There was great progress. Moishy had always needed supports even just to sit upright in a chair because of his head lag. But now he was beginning to sit up on his own. He responded well to our therapist’s great skill, strength, and gentle personality. The sessions were a pleasure for him.
The method of therapy that Moishy was practicing is called MEDEK, a pediatric physiotherapy approach used to strengthen young children with neurological and musculoskeletal dysfunction. It’s actually considered controversial because children are put into weird positions where they’re forced to respond. It’s exactly the opposite of typical therapy. When function begins at zero, traditional therapy works to stimulate the brain and build up slowly. MEDEK is definitely more intense.
And that’s why it works. In South America and Canada, where the therapy is more common, thousands of children have seen miraculous results. They’ve gone from having no stability to being able to sit up, stand, and even walk! Yes, for these children, walking is a miracle.
And it was because of this therapy that I was really beginning to see some measurable results in my son.
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