Early continuous passive movement in hand surgery

For many conditions CPM can provide better results than good surgical technique alone. CPM was first used for flexor tendon repairs. More recently, its use has been extended to operations on extensor tendons, tenolysis, joint reconstruction, and the treatment of intraarticular fractures, burned hands, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and crush injuries of the hand. New portable CPM machines have permitted an increase in the effective therapy time patients may receive. This article compared three different CPM machines and described two treatment protocols for early passive movement of the hand after operations on the tendons.