Using modern rehabilitation methods and techniques, these polio survivors are able to be helped and can usually be restored to their customary levels of functioning. Many of them, however, need to return to or begin using braces, crutches, canes, wheelchairs, and a variety of adaptive equipment in order to compensate for the newly developed weakness and loss of functional abilities. Research continues to be done in order to discover what factors may predispose some polio survivors to progression of their weakness and development of new disabling medical problems. By sharing some of this new information with medical professionals and consumers, it is hoped that rehabilitation outcomes can be improved. The goal of this presentation is to explain what we have learned about the late effects of polio and how to manage their disabling effects.
Acute poliomyelitis is a viral infection which invades the body through the gastrointestinal tract.
The central nervous system is the only place where permanent damage to the body results from the infection. Within the central nervous system, polio virus can destroy motor nerve cells located in the spinal cord. Some nerve cells are permanently destroyed, whereas others are only temporarily damaged. After a person has recovered from the acute poliomyelitis infection, the body attempts to repair the damage. Polio survivors usually can regain some strength during the first two years following the polio infection, if proper exercise and therapy are performed.