Disclosures: Gilbert Siu, DO, PhD: Nothing to disclose

Case Description: 76-year-old female with past medical history of severe right knee osteoarthritis and recurrent knee hemarthrosis presented with continuing severe knee pain and swelling. The patient had multiple right knee joint aspirations within the previous month without success. Upon physical examination, the patient demonstrated right knee swelling, pain with range motion (ROM), diminished ROM (0-10 degrees) and diffuse tenderness. Initial functional status was moderate assistance for ambulation and activities of daily living (ADL).

Setting: Acute Rehabilitation Hospital

Patient: 76-year-old female

Assessment/Results: While in acute inpatient rehabilitation, patient received short stretch compression bandaging to her right leg. Compression wrapping continued for 10 days with other therapies. During her compression treatment, the patient’s pain improved to 0/10 on visual analog scale without oral analgesia, knee ROM increased to 0-90 degrees, and edema in the right knee decreased significantly. Ultimately, she progressed to modified-independent level in ambulation and ADL and was discharged home with continued home short stretch compression wrapping to her right leg.

Discussion: Recurrent hemarthrosis in the knee joint is an uncommon disorder, seen in the elderly population with severe knee osteoarthritis. Once diagnosed, the hemarthrosis can be treated conservatively with rest and pain medications, or invasively with joint aspiration or surgery. However, the application of short stretch compression wrapping as a therapeutic approach for this condition has never been documented. This is the first reported case, to our knowledge, of using short stretch compression therapy as a treatment for knee hemarthrosis.

Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of utilizing a non-invasive approach for treating patients with knee hemarthrosis.

Level of Evidence: Level V

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/an-alternative-approach-to-the-treatment-of-knee-hemarthrosis-short-stretch-compression-bandaging/