Continuous passive mobilisation following total knee replacement: A retrospective review

A retrospective study of 87 total knee replacement (TKR) operations at the Royal Brisbane Hospital was undertaken in order to assess the effect of continuous passive mobilisation (CPM) of the knee on the post-operative course of the patients undergoing arthroplasty. Two mixed groups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis were compared. Forty-eight cases in which patients received CPM during their post-operative course were compared with 39 cases in which CPM was not used. Choice of treatment protocol was at the discretion of the surgeon in each case. The two groups did not differ significantly with regard to pre-operative or post-operative range of knee flexion, length of inpatient stay, or delay before the commencement of knee flexion after surgery. The CPM group was significantly older and this may have masked any beneficial effect of CPM on the measured outcomes. These results suggest that the use of CPM as applied in this study does not significantly alter the post-operative course or the range of movement on discharge. This finding is consistent with those of other studies. The difficulties inherent in this review and the possibilities for further prospective studies are discussed.