The biological effect of continuous passive motion on the healing of full-thickness defects in articular cartilage. An experimental investigation in the rabbit

Abstract

In vivo investigation was undertaken, of the biological effect on the healing of full-thickness articular cartilage defects that penetrate the subchondral bone of rabbit knee joints using continuous passive motion (CPM). Comparison of the effects of immobilization, intermittent active motion and continuous passive motion were made. One hundred and twenty adolescent rabbits and 27 adult rabbits had 480 and 108 defects created respectively in their knee joints Assessment of healing was made weekly for 4 weeks by gross examination, and by light microscopy looking at the nature of reparative tissue and the degree of matrix metachromasia on toluidine-blue staining. This showed increased healing rates in animals treated with CPM.