Manual Therapy Effectively Decreases the Frequency of Joint Bleeding Improves Joint Health and Reduces Pain in Hemophilic Elbow Arthropathy: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: To verify the safety and effectiveness of manual therapy intervention using fascial therapy in adult patients with haemophilic elbow arthropathy. Methods: Prospective cohort study. A total of 28 patients with haemophilic elbow arthropathy was recruited in 3 cities in Spain. Patients received onefascial therapy session per week for 3 weeks. The dependent variables were: frequency of joint bleeding, joint pain (visual analogue score) and joint status (Hemophilia Joint Health Score). Outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), post-treatment (T1) and after 3 months´ follow-up (T2). Using Student´s t-test, the means obtained in the evaluations were compared. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test of repeated measures provided the intra-subject effect. The chosen level of significance was p<0.05. Results: A total of 28 patients were recruited according to the selection criteria. No joint bleeding occurred during or after the intervention. The primary outcome, frequency of bleeding, improved after intervention (p<0.001). The secondary variables joint status and joint pain improved after the experimental period (p<0.001). There were significant changes in the repeated measures factor in the frequency of haemarthrosis (F=20.61; p=0.00), joint status (F=64.11; p=0.00) and perceived pain (F=33.15; p=0.00). Conclusion: Manual therapy using fascial therapy did not produce haemarthrosis in patients with haemophilic elbow arthropathy. Fascial therapy can improve the perception of pain and joint state, maintaining this improvement after a follow-up period of 3 months.