Physical Fitness & Joint Health
Managing Joint Issues
We teamed up with Jeff LeBlanc, PT, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist with severe hemophilia A from Massachusetts, to create a series of videos to help people with bleeding disorders manage joint issues they may experience.
This series is joint specific; focusing on the ankle, knee and elbow. We chose these three target joints to focus on because they are the most common synovial joints that bleed for hemophiliacs. In each video, we provide you with strategies to maintain healthy joints during a bleed, shortly after, and when you’re feeling back to normal.
Jeff’s personal experience living with a bleeding disorder, combined with his medical expertise, gives him a unique and valuable perspective into the needs of our community. These videos should give you easy, at home stretches and exercises to do to help keep your joints healthy.
The Science Behind This Series
Stretching and exercising routinely are crucial keys to maintaining healthy joints. There is often a misconception in our community that getting bigger muscles leads to joint compression, but it is actually the opposite. Building muscle actually gives you better support for your joints.
Similarly, if your muscles are tight, they’re going to compress a joint. Stretching helps with joint mobility and could mitigate some of the arthritic symptoms that people with bleeding disorders may have.
Managing Ankle Pain
Managing Knee Pain
Managing Elbow Pain
Thank you to Biomarin for supporting the production of our digital Joint Health series.
The videos and fitness activities on this page are not meant to be medical advice. Please consult with a doctor if you have any questions.
Virtual Family Fitness Classes
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we hosted five Virtual Family Fitness Classes to help you learn and practice exercises and stretches that were specifically designed for people living with a bleeding disorder that can be done at home.