Effect of early active range of motion rehabilitation on outcome measures after partial meniscectomy

Range of motion (ROM) exercises are accepted as being an essential part of post-operative knee rehabilitation but there is little research to support this treatment. Our purpose was to determine whether a specific early, active ROM intervention using a bicycle ergometer equipped with an adjustable pedal arm offered measurable benefit to post-operative partial meniscectomy patients. Thirty-one subjects were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The experimental group rode a stationary bicycle equipped with the pedal arm device six times over 2 weeks post-operatively under the supervision of a physical therapist while the control group did not. Subjective measures of gait were significantly different with a positive experimental group response to the supervised exercise with improved gait performance at weeks 1, 2 and 4 after surgery (P < or = 0.05). Early, protected active ROM exercise on a bicycle ergometer equipped with an adjustable pedal arm demonstrated promising results in patients after partial meniscectomy.