Post-polio syndrome causes new symptoms in polio survivors years after they recover from the poliomyelitis virus. These individuals notice new weakness in muscles, both in muscles that were previously affected and in those that apparently were not. Some controversy exists as to whether exercise is good for people with post-polio syndrome and other survivors of polio, but a program designed and supervised by a health care professional is likely to be beneficial.
Symptoms
Post-polio syndrome symptoms include gradually progressive muscle weakness and unusual general and muscular fatigue, says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Muscle atrophy, joint degeneration and skeletal deformities can occur and cause pain. It appears that patients who had minimal symptoms from polio typically have mild post-polio syndrome symptoms, while those who experienced a more severe original illness tend to have more severe post-polio syndrome symptoms.
Questions
Debate exists among scientists about exercise for survivors of polio. The question involves whether repeated or excessive physical activity accelerates nerve degeneration in these individuals, according to an article in the spring 2003 issue of "Post-Polio Health." Polio survivors who overexercise may experience excessive fatigue connected with depleted muscle energy. However, for some of them, the muscle weakness may be due to a previous lack of physical activity that led to muscle fiber wasting and inefficient cardiovascular function.
Potential
Current evidence indicates exercise is beneficial for many polio survivors as long as the program is designed by a qualified health care professional after thoroughly evaluating the patient, as reported by the 2003 "Post-Polio Health" article. Many polio survivors can increase their range of motion and their exercise capabilities with an appropriate activity plan. The program should be designed and supervised for a few months by a doctor, physical therapist or other health care provider familiar with post-polio syndrome.
Recommendations
Exercise is more likely to help muscle groups that were least affected by the virus, advises the NINDS. Cardiopulmonary endurance exercise is usually better for these individuals than strength training. Include a rotation of activities, such as stretching, strengthening, aerobic, endurance and range of motion exercises. Heavy or intense weight lifting or resistive exercises may further weaken muscles. The health care professional designing the program should specify the muscle groups to include and exclude in the activities, along with type, frequency and duration of exercise.
Considerations
Exercise progression should be slow, says the 2003 "Post-Polio Health" article. This is particularly true for muscles that you have not exercised for a long time or that have obvious chronic weakness. Cut back on or discontinue exercising if you or your health care provider observe additional weakness, unusual fatigue or abnormally long recovery time.
