Care and rehab after a bleed
Identifying and caring for a bleed
How often you suffer from a bleed will depend on the severity of your haemophilia. Bleeds can either occur in your muscles or in your joints.
Joint bleed
85% of bleeds in haemophilia are joint bleeds. The most frequent sites of bleeding are the knees, elbows and ankles. With the aid of physiotherapy and supervised exercise, the joint should be able to recover its range of motion, muscle strength and normal appearance.
Early symptoms of a joint bleed include:
- Pain in the joint
- Tingling in the joint
- Difficulty using a joint
- Warmth in the joint area
NB: there is no visible bruising or skin discolouration with a joint bleed.
Treatment
- Factor replacement therapy
- Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (PRICE)
- Support aids such as crutches or a sling may be required if your injury is severe
- Physiotherapy
Muscle bleed
Symptoms of a muscle bleed include:
- Difficulty moving an arm or leg
- Pain
- Difficulty using an arm or leg
- Warmth in the muscle
- When touched, the muscle feels tense or tight even though it is at rest
- Numbness or tingling (seek assessment if numbness is significant)
If you experience any of the above symptoms, it is important that you stop taking part in sport immediately. Apply the PRICE regimen (Protection Raise Ice Compress Elevate your joint or muscle) and give yourself an infusion of factor replacement therapy as soon as possible.
