Both questions are very difficult to answer with any certainty. In addition, people frequently complain of a new intolerance to cold, atrophy of their muscles, difficulty climbing stairs and a decreased ability to perform their activities of daily living. As the weakness progresses, it may affect mobility and produce new handicaps or disabilities. Stair climbing is the most frequently affected, followed by increased difficulty performing activities of daily living such as cooking, cleaning or driving. Once the weakened muscles have been identified, strengthening exercises and aerobic exercises are very helpful.
Exercise is beneficial even in muscles that demonstrate new weakness.
The key is to avoid exercising to the point of fatigue and overuse of the muscle. It takes much longer for a weak muscle to recover than a normal one. Bracing and assistive devices may be needed to compensate for loss of strength and stability. PPS patients are understandably distressed to find that they may once again need a brace that took them years of work to abandon in their prior course of rehabilitation. This is probably the most common complaint and may be central or peripheral in nature.