“Fixing” Post-Polio, New Medications and Assistive Devices

Question: Sorry, NO more Memberships. For years, I have been getting the newsletter and it seems that the same old post-polio stuff keeps coming around. I have been hoping in vain to obtain definitive solutions to either FIX post-polio (I am 80 years old.) or reduce the rate of on-going loss of muscles. Or, I’d like to learn of new medications and/or mechanical devices which can enhance my muscle capability, e.g., help me get up off the ground when I fall. Can you send me something useful? I will become a Member again.

Response from Rhoda Olkin, PhD: First, the bad news. There is no new cure, no new medicine, no solutions to fix polio/PPS, nor ways to reduce the rate of on-going loss of muscles. If fact, there really isn’t much of anything new in the world of polio, other than the focus on eradication worldwide. So yes, we tend to recycle topics, such as light exercise, how to conserve energy, etc. But consider that there are always new members, including those from other countries, many isolated from support groups or others with polio. People with polio in other countries are generally younger than those in the U.S., as polio was still widespread beyond when it was mostly eradicated in the U.S.

And note that polio was ‘almost’ eradicated in 2000, but fifteen years later the task isn’t quite completed, with new polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the western hemisphere there were cases as recently as 1979 (and those folks would be about 37 now).

But you do not have to fall. In fact, falling is not a natural part of aging, even when aging with polio/PPS. The purpose of assistive devices is to prevent falls. This is very important, as falls tend to make people feel fragile. When they feel fragile they reduce activities, including socializing, which then often leads to depression. Social support is a key factor in enjoying older age, as is keeping an active mind.

The good news is that there are many devices that can help prevent falls. The simplest are grab bars placed strategically around the house. Crutches and canes can be used when fatigued, and especially if getting up to use the restroom in the middle of the night. There are knee walkers and four-wheel rolling walkers that have seats. (See, for example, one for under $60 at Walmart.) And of course there are scooters and manual and electric wheelchairs. Repeated falling is an indication that some device should be used. I had to move to use of a scooter and wheelchair even after just one or two falls a year, because the falls were serious. Certainly if you are injuring yourself when you fall, or have fallen at least once in the past six months, you should consider using an assistive device more.

But let’s not assume everything is due to polio/PPS. Be sure you have ruled out other factors that may contribute to weakness or imbalance. Sleep apnea, hypothyroid, inner ear problems — these are just a few of the many factors that might contribute to falling.

Getting up off the ground is difficult. I myself cannot do it without leaning on a chair or other firm support. Scoot on your bottom if need be, to get to a steady support to lean on when you get up, or you can fall again.

Newer very high tech gizmos are being invented, for use by those with paralysis (especially spinal cord injury). Mechanical hands controlled by thought waves, for example, are now being made experimentally, and point towards what might happen in the future. But they are still in the prototype phase.

Post-Polio Health (Vol. 32, No. 3, Summer 2016)