In rare cases, steroid injections or surgery may be required to relieve a patient's pain. An estimated 13 percent of people with PPS develop new breathing difficulties, most commonly caused by weakness of the respiratory muscles. Many polio survivors who used a ventilator during their original polio infection may need to return to the use of a ventilator. A videofluoroscopic evaluation may be needed. Swallowing problems can be managed with a variety of techniques, including eating smaller and more frequent meals during the day, avoiding eating when fatigued, and turning the head to one side or tucking down the chin while swallowing.
Many individuals have difficulties adjusting to new disabilities.
For some people with PPS, reliving their childhood experiences with polio can be a traumatic and even terrifying experience. To make matters worse, many doctors know very little about PPS, and some believe that the condition is only in the patient's head. Lacking proper medical and psychological advice, people with PPS are often forced to depend on their own resources to help them cope with their condition. Fortunately, PPS is gaining increasing attention in the medical community, and there is a growing number of healthcare professionals who understand PPS and can provide appropriate medical and psychological help. This drug, which is already approved for other uses, was tested in 6 people with PPS, producing little or no improvement in the subjects' muscle strength, endurance, or recovery after fatigue.