Definition of Passive Range of Motion
Passive range of motion refers to the moving of body parts without activating muscles to perform the movement. This technique is widely used by physical therapists and is typically performed on extremities.
Passive range of motion, or PROM, involves placing a body part through its various directional motions, all without the activation of the patient's muscles, so that the movement is performed entirely by an external source.
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Joint Health
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Keeping joints moving after injury or surgery accomplishes many things. From a joint health perspective, ongoing motion within the joint helps to stimulate and perpetuate the production of joint fluid, which bathes joint surfaces and nourishes them.
Passive range of motion helps to maintain optimal mobility of a joint by putting it through its motions to the widest extent possible at any given time.
Early Healing Phases
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Passive range of motion is a technique used to improve and maintain overall mobility during early healing phases after an injury or surgery. A good example is rotator cuff surgery.
After rotator cuff surgery, it is critical that the patient not actively move the affected arm, for risk of disrupting the repair site of the tendon and detaching it from the bone. It is, however, equally critical that the shoulder joint not be allowed to sit stationary for any length of time because of the high risk of stiffening, or frozen shoulder syndrome.
By moving the extremity with the help of another person, the goal of movement is accomplished, without the risk of active muscle usage.
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Controlled Activity
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Passive range of motion in a situation such as post-injury or post-surgery is a safe way to restore and maintain mobility. Because the person performing the movements is not in pain, the type and extent of the various motion exercises can be carefully regulated.
Pain has a mobility limiting influence and if an extremity can be moved with little or no pain, motion can be improved and maintained
Pain Relief
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Passive range of motion can be employed to maximize pain relief. Motion of an extremity can go a long way to break the "pain cycle" that can severely limit one's ability to move. Interestingly enough, passive range of motion can be performed by people or machines. The CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine exists for use with just about any extremity. The machine provides prescribed, slow, gentle passive range of motion. Often times this type of mobilization, because of its slow, deliberate action, can reduce pain and apprehension about moving a body part.
Maintain and Optimize Ligament Balance, Muscle Tone and Tendon Elasticity
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If a joint sits too long in one position, or moves within a very narrow range, ultimately muscles will begin to atrophy (shrink), ligaments become scarred and tendons become less and less elastic. All this occurs in response to decreased overall motion of a joint.
Passive range of motion provides movement where there might otherwise be little or none and helps to restore and maintain proper muscle, tendon and ligamentous balance.
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