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 …
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Facial Nerve Involvement in Polio Survivors
Question: I am a 74-year-old polio survivor. I have facial nerve involvement with paralysis of the right side of my face. Now I have problems with chewing, so I have to use a hand under my mandible to push it up. I have also started having laryngospasms with severe inspiratory stridor which has resulted in calling the EMS twice. Have …
How Should I Manage Lymphedema in my Polio Leg?
Question: After several weeks when my polio-affected right leg began to swell, beginning at the foot and now up into the knee, a vascular physician diagnosed the condition as lymphedema and referred me to physical therapy. The swelling decreases only slightly after sleeping all night, even with my legs elevated. My ability to exercise (walk) is not practical having great …
Facial Nerve Involvement and Polio
Question: What are the symptoms in patients with post-polio syndrome with facial involvement? I am a PT with facial nerve involvement due to polio. Answer: Regarding facial nerve involvement after poliomyelitis: It is not common but also not rare. I have seen well over a dozen patients with significant one-sided facial weakness secondary to polio. I have not seen anyone …
Is There Any Difference in PPS Symptoms in Patients that Contracted the Disease through the Vaccine Versus Wild Polio? / Can Polio Cause GI Issues?
Question: I had polio at age 5 in 1968 apparently contracted from the oral polio vaccine. The acute illness lasted about a month, then a slow recovery ensued (upper and lower right limb involvement) that took about a year. Is there any difference between PPS symptoms in patients who have contracted the disease through vaccine and those who contracted it …
I’m Dating a Polio Survivor. What Should I Expect our Future to Look Like?
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 …
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 …
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