Post-Polio Syndrome

A guide for polio survivors, their families and their health-care providers. It offers advice on all aspects of post-polio syndrome, including how to find the best medical care, deal with symptoms, sustain mobility, manage pain, approach insurance issues, and arrange a safe living environment.

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The effects of polio that occur decades after the disease has run its course—weakness, fatigue, pain, intolerance to cold, difficulty with breathing and swallowing—are often more devastating than the original disease. This book on the diagnosis and management of polio-related health problems is an essential resource for polio survivors and their families and health care providers.

Dr. Julie K. Silver, who has both personal and professional experience with post-polio syndrome, begins the book by defining and describing PPS and providing a historical overview of its diagnosis and treatment. Chapters that follow discuss finding good medical care, dealing with symptoms, maintaining proper nutrition and weight, preventing osteoporosis and falls, and sustaining mobility. Dr. Silver reviews the latest in braces, shoes, assistive devices, and wheelchairs and scooters. She also explores issues involving managing pain, surgery, complementary and alternative medicine, safe and comfortable living environments, insurance and disability, and sex and intimacy.