Joint health

Treating and preventing acute bleeds is the hallmark of effective haemophilia care. Repeated bleeds into a joint can cause permanent changes that lead to pain, stiffness and weakness in the joint, eventually leading to a type of arthritis that only people with haemophilia develop – haemophilic arthropathy. In the past, when treatment for haemophilia was less effective than it is now, sufferers often became crippled with arthritis early in life, with surgical joint replacement the only management option available to them.

Today, physiotherapy forms an important part of the management of people with haemophilia. Individuals are encouraged to keep active and given simple exercises that can be done at home, work or school with the aim of keeping the joints mobile and the muscles strong. Preventing joint bleeds, treating them promptly with clotting factor replacement therapies, and keeping the joints and muscles mobile and strong are all fundamental to ensuring healthy joints.