American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialContinuous passive motion after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective study.
Continuous passive motion (CPM) has been shown to increase significantly the amount of knee flexion for patients with total knee arthroplasty in the acute care hospital. Whether there is any additional benefit to using CPM for these patients who are transferred to a rehabilitation hospital is not known. There have been no prospective, randomized, controlled studies in this area. ⋯ Although power analysis indicated the need for differences in results for 32 patients per group to achieve significance, the difference between the two groups suggested neither statistical nor clinical significance. We concluded that the use of CPM in the rehabilitation hospital is likely of no added benefit to patients admitted after single total-knee replacement.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 2000
Review Case ReportsOne step forward and two steps back: the dangers of walking backwards in therapy.
Walking backwards has been used in therapy to improve balance and gait. There has not been any systematic investigation into the effectiveness or safety of walking backwards. We present two cases in which walking backwards during physical therapy resulted in a fall and considerable morbidity. The only clear indication for treatment by walking backwards should be a task-specific need to do so, and only then if adequate safety can be assured.