Continuous Passive Motion Machines
In the 1970s Salter introduced the Continuous Passive Motion Machine (CPM) for management of intra-articular fractures. Later it was used by the orthopedic community during the immediate postoperative period after a rotator cuff repair (RCR) in an attempt to prevent Shoulder Contractures/Adhesive Capsulitis. Research on Shoulder CPM has had mixed results in the literature (Garofalo 2010, Yi 2015). Comparing 715 unilateral rotator cuff repairs using Shoulder CPM in the postoperative period with 13,781 that did not use CPM, there were no significant differences in the development of a Shoulder Contracture/Adhesive Capsulitis, number of recovery days, or need for MRS (IBM Watson Database 2015-18).
Yi A, Villacis D, Yalamanchili R, Hatch GF 3rd. A Comparison of Rehabilitation Methods After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review. Sports Health. 2015 Jul;7(4):326-34. doi: 10.1177/1941738115576729. PMID: 26137178; PMCID: PMC4481677.
Garofalo R, Conti M, Notarnicola A, Maradei L, Giardella A, Castagna A. Effects of one-month continuous passive motion after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: results at 1-year follow-up of a prospective randomized study. Musculoskelet Surg. 2010 May;94 Suppl 1:S79-83. doi: 10.1007/s12306-010-0058-7. PMID: 20383685.