What does polio do to legs?

While most people fully recover from polio, the disease can cause very serious problems. These problems can sometimes develop quickly (hours after infection) and include: Numbness, a feeling of pins and needles or tingling in the legs or arms. Paralysis in the legs, arms or torso.

Why does polio affect the legs?

Related to this is the possible shortening of the limb. In a growing child, bone grows as a result of the muscle pull on it and/or weight bearing. Therefore, many who contracted polio as a growing child may have one arm or leg or foot that is shorter and smaller than the non-affected/less affected limb.

Does polio effect your legs?

In less than 1% of cases, polio causes permanent paralysis of the arms, legs or breathing muscles. Between 5% and 10% of people who develop paralytic polio will die. Physical symptoms may emerge 15 years or more after the first polio infection. These new symptoms are called the 'late effects of polio'.

What did polio do to muscles?

A polio infection often damages or destroys many of these motor neurons. Because there are fewer motor neurons, the remaining neurons sprout new fibers and grow bigger. This promotes recovery of the use of your muscles, but it also may stress the nerve cell body to nourish the additional fibers.

Does polio cause leg pain?

Muscle and joint pain are also common in post-polio syndrome. Muscle pain is usually felt as a deep ache in the muscles or muscle cramps and spasms. The pain is often worse after you've used the affected muscles. It can be particularly troublesome during the evening after a day's activities.

What is polio? | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy

Can polio leg be cured?

There's no one treatment for the various signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome. The goal of treatment is to manage your symptoms and help make you as comfortable and independent as possible.

Which body part is affected by polio?

Polio is a viral disease which may affect the spinal cord causing muscle weakness and paralysis. The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. Polio is more common in infants and young children and occurs under conditions of poor hygiene.

What are long term effects of polio?

The most common long-term problems seen in polio are brace problems, knee recurvatum, increasing weakness due to overuse and ankle equinus. A definite increased incidence of problems is seen after the patient is more than 30 years post-polio.

What is the life expectancy of someone with post-polio?

Outlook. In most cases, post-polio syndrome life expectancy is good. PPS is rarely life-threatening, though symptoms can vary from mild to severe.

Is post-polio syndrome a disability?

Post-polio Syndrome is a complex medical condition which may impact an individual's employment as well as their personal life. If you are unable to work because of Post-polio Syndrome, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

Does polio cause short legs?

A study of limb shortening after poliomyelitis in 225 children in whom paralysis was confined to one leg shows: 1. The paralysed leg became shorter than its fellow in 219 patients (97 per cent). 2.

What are the 3 types of polio?

There are three wild types of poliovirus (WPV) – type 1, type 2, and type 3. People need to be protected against all three types of the virus in order to prevent polio disease and the polio vaccination is the best protection.

What is the key symptom of polio?

Paralysis is the most severe symptom associated with polio, because it can lead to permanent disability and death. Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from poliovirus infection die, because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe.

How many polio survivors are still alive?

The World Health Organization estimates that 10 to 20 million polio survivors are alive worldwide, and some estimates suggest that 4 to 8 million of them may get PPS.

What is post polio residual paralysis?

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a disorder of the nerves and muscles. It happens in some people many years after they have had polio. PPS may cause new muscle weakness that gets worse over time, pain in the muscles and joints, and tiredness. People with PPS often feel exhausted.

Where did polio originally come from?

The first epidemics appeared in the form of outbreaks of at least 14 cases near Oslo, Norway, in 1868 and of 13 cases in northern Sweden in 1881. About the same time, the idea began to be suggested that the hitherto sporadic cases of infantile paralysis might be contagious.

Can you recover from polio?

People who have milder polio symptoms usually make a full recovery within 1–2 weeks. People whose symptoms are more severe can be weak or paralyzed for life, and some may die. After recovery, a few people might develop "post-polio syndrome" as long as 30–40 years after their initial illness.

Does polio affect bones?

Poliomyelitis is an important acquired risk factor for regional osteoporosis. This condition should be detected and treated in this cohort of patients who are clearly at higher risk of fractures.

Does polio cause deformity?

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by a neurotrophic virus targeting anterior horn cells of lower motor neurons resulting in flaccid paralysis and represents a common condition in developing countries, and even nowadays, most of both treated and untreated cases result in foot deformities.

Can polio cause numbness?

Polio affected motor nerves only and, therefore, does not lead to numbness or true loss of feeling.

What is polio called now?

According to the World Health Organization, only 22 cases of polio were reported worldwide in 2017. However, recent reports of children exhibiting a polio-like paralytic condition has sent health officials and researchers scrambling for answers. The condition is called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM.

Where is polio most common?

Five of the six regions of the world are certified polio-free—the African Region, the Americas, Europe, South East Asia and the Western Pacific. Only two polio-endemic countries (nations that have never interrupted the transmission of wild poliovirus) remain—Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Can you get polio twice?

One possibility is that the polio virus becomes active again after decades of lying dormant in the victim's cells. Another possibility involves impaired production of hormones and neurotransmitters in brain.

Can polio patients walk?

Polio often paralyzed or severely weakened the legs of those who contracted the disease. Regaining the ability to walk was thus a significant measure of recovery from the disease. However, walking meant more than the physical act itself.

How can I strengthen my polio legs?

Seated in a chair with arms, lean back into the chair and try to lift your right knee up. Lower the right knee and do the same with the left knee. Complete five repetitions with each leg.