An interval of 30 to 40 years usually elapses before the first PPS symptoms occur, but intervals as short as eight years and as long as 71 years have been documented. Weakness is the general symptom of post-polio syndrome.
Muscle strength decreases when the nerve supply to the muscle is reduced.
Symptoms can appear in the muscles that were affected at the time polio was contracted or in previously unaffected areas. Most new pain problems in polio survivors result from repetitive strain injuries to weakened muscle fibers and muscular tissues. Understand Post-polio syndrome is not a recurrence of the virus. The rest necessary to resolve pain and inflammation often leads to further weakness and atrophy. Thus, a vicious cycle of increasing weakness, increasing pain and increasing disability can result.