QUESTION: I am dating a woman who had polio, but if you didn’t know it, you could not tell it. We are both in our late 20s and I am very interested in her. I have heard about post-polio syndrome and am wondering what I may expect in our future years if I marry her. Dr. Maynard’s response: People with …
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EMG on Limb with No Electrical Response and Other Options?
Question: I have a question regarding differential diagnosis specifically utilizing electromyographpy (EMG, a test that measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction). I am 63 with a family history of stenosis. I have low back pain, sometimes radiating diagonally to the hip/thigh region and increasing in intensity, leading to sudden inability to rise from sitting to …
Is There a Connection Between Weak Leg Muscles and Using Toes More to Walk?
Question: As my leg muscles become weaker, I notice that now I use my toes more than my whole foot when I walk. A polio friend of mine has made the same observation about his method of walking. Is this coincidence or is there a connection between weak leg muscles and using toes more to walk? GARY FREDERICKS Answer: The …
Is Post-Polio Syndrome Life-Threatening, Will the Effects Intensify, and Does it Affect the Brain’s Ability to Function in Speech, Sight, and Thought Processes?
Question: Often we polio survivors have very few options that are helpful in understanding our circumstances and what direction to take. Thank you for being available to provide this important service. Here is my question in three parts. When I read The Polio Paradox by Richard L. Bruno, PhD, he assured us that post-polio syndrome (PPS) is not life threatening. …
Testosterone Replacement and Post-Polio Syndrome; Is Post-Polio Syndrome Life-Threatening
Question: I am a male age 60 who contracted polio at age six months and Guillain-Barré syndrome at age 40. I was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome at age 55. Four weeks ago I had testosterone pellets implanted when I found out I had a major testosterone deficiency. What happened four weeks later, as reported to my naturopathic doctor who prescribed …
Should I “Save My Strength”, and Save it for What?
Question: I am 69 and had polio in my right foot when I was 20 months old. I have had tendon transplants, heel cord lengthening surgery, and some toes fused. I wore a short leg brace following surgeries when I was eight years old at Warm Springs in Georgia. I had five children and have always been active, e.g., marched …
Could Polio, Post-Polio, and POTS Syndrome Have Any Connection and/or Relationship?
Question: I had all three types of polio. I was paralyzed from my throat down and was unconscious. Now I am 69 years old and have been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Could polio, post-polio and POTS Syndrome have any connection and/or relationship? Answer: POTS syndrome causes the heart to race to compensate for an excessive drop of …
Could the Late Effects of Polio Cause Leg Swelling?
Question: I had polio in 1940. With treatment and exercise I was able to live a “normal” life and taught school for many years. At age 50, I started having new weakness. I am now 79 and my legs have shown greater weakness. I wear a full brace on my left leg and a short brace on my right leg. …
Is it Possible for Post-Polio Syndrome to be Causing Shortness of Breath?
Question: I am 83 and had polio when I was 6, affecting my right leg. I received the Sister Kenny treatment in St Michael’s Hospital in Newark, NJ in the spring of 1942. My leg is 1/2 inch shorter and one of my quad muscles and my calf atrophied. I have led a pretty normal life with one weak leg. …
Does Denervation Continue with Post-Polio Syndrome?
Question: I am aware that as polio survivors recovered from the initial bout with polio, we went through a process called denervation. Does this process of losing anterior horn cells (AHCs) and establishing new nerve pathways continue with post-polio syndrome? A: Denervation is actually not a process but a condition of muscle that has lost its connection to a motor …