After the initial damage, neurological recovery begins. Over a period of months, a process known as axonal sprouting occurs, during which some of the surviving motor nerve cells innervate some orphaned muscle fibers. This process allows partial or complete functional recovery from the initial paralytic symptoms. However, the very sprouting process that permitted recovery also causes many nerve cells to work at double or triple capacity for many years. After the initial polio infection has run its course and the person is no longer contagious, rehabilitation begins.
Medical treatment focuses on the use of braces, splints, hot packs, and exercise.
Often, surgical procedures such as muscle transfers, tendon lengthening, or osteotomies are performed, producing functional improvement. In the past, children and adolescents with polio were often separated from their families for months to receive treatment at a polio rehabilitation center. Polio rehabilitation strongly emphasized physical effort and determination to overcome disability. This focus on maximal exertion, even through pain, is a lifelong characteristic of polio survivors. Polio survivors have a very high rate of academic, vocational, and social achievement.