Question: I am 79 years old and was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome a few years ago. I was originally diagnosed with polio when I was nine years old. On a follow-up visit to Rancho Los Amigos in Downey, California, the doctor I saw (different from the one I had previously seen) told me he wasn’t certain that I had ever …
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How Successful are Knee Replacements for Post-Polio Patients and What is Recovery Like?
Question: I am an 83-year-old female polio survivor. The knee on my polio-afflicted right leg is bone-on-bone. My doctor is pressing me to get a knee replacement. How successful are knee replacements for post-polio syndrome patients and what is recovery like? Marny Eulberg, MD: I don’t have any statistics on success and recovery after knee replacements in polio survivors, and …
Recommendations for Healing a Fracture
Question: My mother has post-polio syndrome. She recently fell and fractured her spine. Do you have any recommendations on healing from a fracture with PPS? She’s experienced a lot of medical gaslighting regarding pain. I’m pushing for her to get a customized brace, but again, they aren’t looking into the option. Finally, I feel like physical therapy is pushing her …
What Happens Over Time with a Spinal Fusion?
Question: I contracted polio at 10 months of age in 1954. At the age of 13 in 1966, my scoliosis had progressed to where my “S”-shaped spine was fused from the base of my neck to the bottom of my spine. My back has been solid and pain-free (except for several brief times when some areas became sore and healed …
Is Fatigue a Symptom of Post-Polio Syndrome?
Question: I had polio at age three. I am now 67 years old. I have no movement from my waist down. I have severe scoliosis with a 95° curve. I have had two spinal fusions. I now have post-polio syndrome. I am so tired. I cannot seem to transfer or function as I have before. I sleep for much of …
Will Individuals Who Have Had Mild Bulbar Polio with No Functional Limb Impacts Develop Post-Polio Limb Weakness?
Question: Will individuals who had mild bulbar polio with no functional limb impacts develop post-polio limb weakness? Is anything known about extra risks to recovery from major orthopedic surgery such as knee replacement to post-polio individuals? Marny Eulberg, MD: It is possible that persons who had mild bulbar polio but no functional limb weakness could develop post-polio limb weakness over …
Recovery after Carpel Tunnel Release Surgery
Question: I am a polio survivor who contracted polio at the age of two. I am now 61 years old. I started having pain after a fall two years ago and I’ve been told that I needed carpel tunnel release surgery. The muscle in my right thumb is starting to atrophy. I walk with two forearm crutches and have been …
Does PPS Cause Muscle Atrophy Later in Life or is Atrophy Caused by the Initial Polio?
Question: Does PPS cause muscle loss later in life or is atrophy caused by the initial polio attack? Dr. Maynard: Initial polio infection damage to nerves may result in a muscle’s atrophy (smaller or shrunken size) if a sufficiently large percent of nerves to an individual muscle died off. However, further dying off of damaged but not dead nerve cells …
Acupuncture Therapy for Polio Survivors
Question: I am a 77-year-old woman who had polio at the age of nine. I lost the use of my legs, but, with intensive physical therapy, I made a decent recovery enabling me to lead a pretty normal life—minus things like skiing, running, etc. I just had an evaluation at Rancho Los Amigos in California and the recommendation is that …
Dealing with Post-Polio Pain and Fatigue
Question: In your most recent column, you referred with clarity about new pain and fatigue that many polio survivors are experiencing. I have had the same symptoms for 12 years or so, but never with the same intensity and to the same degree as I do now. I am 74 years old and contracted polio in 1952 at age four. …