The aim of this review was to determine the effect of Continuous Passive Motion on knee range of motion and function following total knee arthroplasty. Databases were searched (Medline, PEDro, Cochrane, CINAHL and Google Scholar) to locate randomised controlled trials published in English from 2000 onwards. Forty-two articles were extracted from the search. Inclusion criteria consisted of: (1) participant had a primary total knee arthroplasty, (2) continuous passive motion was the rehabilitation intervention of interest, (3) outcome measures included knee range of motion and/or function. Fifteen of the articles satisfied these criteria. Study methodology was rated using the PEDro scoring system. Six articles rated less than four out of ten, so were excluded. No review articles were included. All nine remaining studies had data on range of motion and five of these found no significant difference between groups, Three studies found short term effects which disappeared during follow-up and one found effects that lasted to the end of follow-up. Six of the nine studies investigated knee function: five of these found no significant difference between groups. One study found a significant difference which lasted to the end of followup. These studies show that there may be short term benefits with using continuous passive motion particularly for range of motion, but these effects are generally not long term. There is limited evidence on the beneficial effect of continuous passive motion on knee function.

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A brief summary and a critical assessment of this review may be available at DARE