Conference 2025 – A physiotherapy perspective

JUANA CHOKVAREEPORN AND ELLIE PAPANTONIOU

Juana Chokvareeporn is Physiotherapist at Health New Zealand Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Ellie Papantoniou is Physiotherapist at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

A NEW ERA IN DIAGNOSIS, CARE AND LIVING WELL

Juana Chokvareeporn

The Australian Bleeding Disorders Conference 2025 in Brisbane brought together experts, clinicians, patients, and families to share the latest insights and innovations shaping the future of bleeding disorders care. As a Physiotherapist from New Zealand attending my first bleeding disorders conference, it was a wonderful opportunity to connect and learn from each other’s perspectives. I gained new insights in management of bleeding disorders and a renewed appreciation of how teamwork can transform lives.

Advancing diagnostics – Expanding the lens beyond men

Traditionally, haemophilia has been seen as a ‘male-only’ condition and women with other bleeding disorders have often been unrecognised. However, new perspectives and advanced diagnostic tools are reshaping that narrative. Early diagnosis and screening programs now increasingly include females – carriers and symptomatic women – who may have been underdiagnosed or overlooked in the past. These advances mark a crucial step toward equity in care, ensuring that all individuals affected by bleeding disorders receive timely recognition and support.

Treatment as prevention – A transformative shift

Novel therapies are changing lives by transforming bleeding disorders management with very effective prevention. Extended half-life factor products, non-factor replacement therapies, and gene therapies are enabling people with bleeding disorders to live more normalized lives – free to participate in sports, work, and social activities with confidence. While older generations faced challenges such as multiple joint bleeds and long-term joint damage, today’s innovations are preventing such complications from the start. This remarkable progress underscores how far the field has come – and how important continued research and access to care remain.

Patient-centred care across generations

Bleeding disorders care brings together a multidisciplinary team – haematologists, physiotherapists, nurses, social workers and psychologists – working collaboratively to deliver holistic, patient-centred support.

• For children, the focus is on creating safe environments that build confidence, independence, and a sense of normalcy.
• For young adults, it’s about empowerment—pursuing higher levels of activity, education, and career goals without limitations.
• For the ageing population, care centres on managing pain, arthritis, and muscle atrophy while preserving quality of life.

This generation-tailored approach reflects the evolution of bleeding disorders care – from survival to thriving, from isolation to inclusion.

Looking ahead

As science continues to advance, so too does our vision of what it means to live with a bleeding disorder. The Conference highlighted not only groundbreaking medical progress but also a collective commitment to community, equity, and hope for future generations. Together, we are moving towards a future where early diagnosis, prevention, teamwork and shared decision care redefine what’s possible for everyone affected by bleeding disorder. I would highly recommend this Conference to anyone who has or is involved in bleeding disorders management. It is an invaluable experience for learning, collaboration and inspiration.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND HAEMOPHILIA PHYSIOTHERAPIST GROUP (ANZHPG) ANNUAL MEETING

Ellie Papantoniou

The 2025 annual meeting was an invaluable opportunity for Physiotherapists from Australia and New Zealand to share insights, experiences and collaborate. It was a great opportunity to come together as new and experienced clinicians discussed cases, service delivery and new research.

As a relatively new Physiotherapist in this space, I gained a wealth of knowledge from meeting with this group. Their knowledge, passion and dedication are profound, and it was inspiring to see how this makes a significant impact on the lives and wellbeing of their clients. A key message for me was how despite advancements in the medical management of bleeding disorders, being proactive about bone and muscle health is an imperative element of the health of people living with bleeding disorders.

We were lucky enough to also have a guest speaker present to the Group: Dr Sally Hess, a consultant Physiotherapist and an expert in the assessment and management of the shoulder. Her presentation unveiled how to simplify the assessment and management of the shoulder joint, which clinicians often associate with complexity.

Dr Hess enabled the Group to challenge their thinking relating to exercise dosage, the risk of muscle atrophy and we even had a chance to put our new knowledge into practice with some effective shoulder exercises! Further to this, it was great for the sharing of knowledge to be reciprocal, as the physiotherapists shared with Dr Hess, their own experiences of managing shoulder pathologies in people living with bleeding disorders.

In the final session of the meeting, the physiotherapists, nurses and psychosocial teams joined to learn about horizon therapies and discuss the importance of the multidisciplinary team and a coordinated approach to the care of people with bleeding disorders.

The ANZHPG were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet in Brisbane, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration and growth as clinicians at the next one!