The effectiveness of continuous passive motion on range of motion, pain and muscle strength following rotator cuff repair: a systematic review

Objective: To systematically review the evidence on the effect of continuous passive motion, combined with usual physiotherapy management, on increasing shoulder joint range of motion and muscle strength, and reducing shoulder pain in adults following rotator cuff repair, compared with standard physiotherapy. Data sources: A comprehensive search in available bibliographic electronic databases was undertaken to locate eligible studies. Reference tracing was also used to locate studies. Review methods: Randomized controlled trials reporting on the effect of continuous passive motion on increasing shoulder joint range of motion and muscle strength and reducing shoulder pain in adults following rotator cuff repair were included in the review. The PEDro scale was used to determine the methodological quality of the studies. Data were summarized in a narrative form because of their heterogeneity. Results: Four randomized controlled trials were eligible for this review. One Japanese article was excluded as the text was unavailable in English. The methodological quality of the included studies averaged 7.67. Continuous passive motion was found to improve shoulder range of motion in two studies. One study found a decrease in pain in the intervention group and one study found that continuous passive motion improves muscle strength. Conclusion: Continuous passive motion is safe to use with physiotherapy treatment following rotator cuff repair surgery. It may help to prevent secondary complications post operatively.