Sports for hemophiliacs – pro
Regular exercise strengthens muscles and protects joints, which can help reduce spontaneous bleeding. Some recommended activities include swimming, bicycling, walking, jogging, tennis, golfing, dancing, fishing, sailing and bowling. Most experts recommend that children with hemophilia avoid contact sports – such as football, hockey, boxing and wrestling. This information can be found in the Ntional Hemophilia Foundation publication “Hemophilia, Sports and Exercise, 1966″, seehttp://www.hemophilia.org/resources/handi_pubs.htm#bdr. Thus, basketball as a contact sport should not be encouraged for a child with hemophilia, on medical grounds. The Canadian Hemophilia Foundation considers backetball to be a low to medium risk activity. It is my opinion that encouraging a child to engage in contact sports with support of high doses of factors with their own side effect risks may not be wise. Traditionally, swimming, golf, and table tennis were recommended by doctors, whereas most contact sports, including football, were discouraged. However, there had been an emerging trend to allow more and more activities in the recent years and this trend is reflected by the literature. Medical advise should be individualized and it is not possible to speak of a standard of care in this evolving area.
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http://www.wfh.org/2/docs/Publications/Diagnosis_and_Treatment/Gudelines_Mng_Hemophilia.pdf#s