Home continuous passive motion machine versus professional physical therapy following total knee replacement.

摘要

A vigorous rehabilitation program following discharge from the hospital is necessary for patients having a total knee arthroplasty to maintain and improve range of motion and function. To compare the effectiveness of the continuous passive motion (CPM) machine as a home therapy program versus professional physical therapy, a prospective, comparative, randomized clinical study of 103 consecutive primary total knee arthroplasties in 80 patients (23 bilateral) was performed. The CPM group consisted of 37 patients (49 knees), and the physical therapy group consisted of 43 patients (54 knees). At 2 weeks, knee flexion was similar in the two groups, but a flexion contracture was noted in the CPM group (4.2 degrees). This difference is felt by the authors to be clinically insignificant. At 6 months, there were no differences in knee scores, knee flexion, presence of flexion contracture, or extensor lag between the two groups. The cost for the CPM machine group was