Continuous passive motion (CPM) devices are used during the first phase of rehabilitation following a soft tissue surgical procedure or trauma.

The goals of phase 1 rehabilitation are: control post-operative pain, reduce inflammation, provide passive motion in a specific plane of movement, and protect the healing repair or tissue.

[1][2] For people who have had total knee replacement without complications, continuous passive motion has been shown to provide clinically relevant benefits.

[3] These results weren't adequate for supporting the use of CPM over potentially more successful interventions, such as active exercise that is both high in intensity and velocity.

[3] Given the lack of support in current literature, the use of CPM over other treatment is not advised for most patients having undergone a TKA, nor is its use recommended as a standard procedure in clinical practice.