Prevention of Falls in Patients with Poliomyelitis Sequelae and Post-polio Syndrome(review) / 中国康复理论与实践

Falls and fall-related injuries are common and important issues among the patients with poliomyelitis sequelae and post-polio syndrome(PPS).They have the same risk factors of falls as general elderly;in addition,fatigue,muscle and joint pain caused by poliomyelitis sequelae and PPS,and the inability to tolerate the cold can also lead to falls.Falls of-ten result in physical injury,further disability,fear of falling,and then avoidance of activity.In order to reduce falls of the patients with poliomyelitis sequela and PPS,we should evaluate the fall carefully,correct and eliminate the patient's misconceptions,analyze the cause and the mechanism,and reduce the risk factors,give the multi-disciplinary compre-hensive management plan and intervention measures,in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle,and prevent falls and avoid further disability.

Clinical Features of Sequelae in Poliomyelitis Patients

The Postpoliomyelitis syndrome (PPS) is characterized by new neuromuscular symptoms such as muscle weakness, joint pain, fatigue, and occasional new neuromuscular impairments. Although the development of PPS shows individual differences, it usually occurs many years after the recovery from an acute paralytic poliomyelitis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and the clinical features of PPS. The subjects were 33 patients(26 males and 7 females) who had partial recoveries of motor function, ten or more years of functional stabilities, and residual muscle atrophies. The mean age was 36.8?7.7 years with the range of 23 - 59 years. The average onset age of acute poliomyelitis was 2.3 - 1.5 years. The questionnaires asking their current physical conditions and three major categories of PPS symptoms, weakness, fatigue, and pain were used. As the sequelae of poliomyelitis, 66.7% of the subjects showed scoliosis and 39.4% had claw toes. Thirty six percents of the subjects were using orthoses including wheelchair, KAFO, and crutches. According to the questionnaire study, 72.5% of subjects had at least one of the three major symptoms. And 36.4% of them reported all of three categories of PPS symptoms. The onset age of the new neuromuscular symptoms was 34.2?8.3 years which was about 32 years after the original acute poliomyelitis. Further researches to investigate the importance and the impacts of proper managements and to develop educational plans for the PPS including exercise programs, cardiopulmonary and energy-conservation trainings are recommended.