The effect of continuous passive motion after total knee arthroplasty on joint function

Aim To evaluate the role of continuous passive motion(CPM) after total knee arthroplasty(TKA) through a comparative clinical study.Methods 44 patients who accepted a primary TKA in our hospital were randomly assigned to one of the two groups by drawing cuts: 23 cases were treated with CPM and physical therapy among 2 weeks after operation, 21 cases received physical therapy only.All patients were followed up and the range of motion(ROM) was recorded on the seventh, tenth and fourteenth day.ROM was also measured at six weeks,three months,six months and one year after TKA.Results ROM was average 19° ,15° ,10° ,8° ,8° ,2° and 5° greater in CPM group than that in no CPM group at 7, 10, 14 days, 6 weeks, 3, 6 months and one year after TKA(t=4.763,3.621,3.529,2.614,2.507,2.178,2.117， P< 0.05).Conclusion CPM is a useful machine in the rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty which can help the patients regain the range of motion of the knee joint more quickly.