Polio Place

A service of Post-Polio Health International

evaluation

Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians

Joan L. Headley, Executive Director, Post-Polio Health International

Post-Polio Health International created a survey asking polio survivors about their post-polio medical care. The survey, Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians, was posted online and a version was also published in Post-Polio Health (Volume 30, Number 2).

Data was gathered from 632 people; 496 completed the survey online and 136 copies received by mail were entered manually. Partial information was also entered.

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Options When a Post-Polio Clinic Is Not an Option

Carol Vandenakker, MD
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
University of California, Davis, Health System
Sacramento, California

Presented at PHI’s 9th International Conference: Strategies for Living Well (June 2005)

A. You must start with a good primary care physician.

1. Keys to finding a good doctor:

a. Look for a physician you trust and can communicate with.

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Tests for Breathing Problems If You Have a Neuromuscular Condition

Reviewed by Nicholas S. Hill, MD, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

If you have a neuromuscular condition such as post-polio syndrome, ALS, or Duchenne muscular dystrophy, you may not realize that your breathing muscles are weak and can become weaker. You may have difficulty breathing in deeply enough to fully expand your lungs or coughing strongly enough to clear mucus from your lungs.

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Communication

Communication is a two-way street. Participants in any relationship must have a mutual respect for the values, experiences, and skills that each brings to the encounter. Everyone is responsible for his/her own feelings, and experts recommend that feelings be expressed in the first person. Acknowledge them but do not place responsibility for them on someone else. For example, saying, “When such and such happens, I feel...” is preferable to saying, “You make me feel ….”

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Muscle Power Evaluation And Therapeutic Chart (MPET Chart)

AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN POST-POLIO MANAGEMENT
Mahboon ur Rahman, Peshawar, Pakistan

Brief Description of Work: Muscle power of polio-afflicted children were assisted and evaluated by Oxford Muscle Testing Chart. The chart as a diagnostic tool gives strength of muscles for the purpose of surgical interventions or physical regime.

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Evaluation Suggestions

To evaluate for post-polio syndrome, one must establish that an individual had paralytic polio and that current symptoms are due to the aftereffects of the remote polio and not due to other medical, orthopedic, or neurologic conditions. A comprehensive evaluation is done by a physician with input from members of a health care team who are experienced in the assessment and management of individuals who have neuromuscular diseases and/or functional limitations.

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Diagnosis

 The criteria for diagnosing post-polio syndrome include:

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