The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #36289

Gloria Niles, DC, DACAN, Academic Dean, Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida, 4705 S. Clyde Morris Blvd, Port Orange, FL 32129, 386-756-7402, niles_g@palmer.edu

At one point “Polio” was a word that evoked fear of a highly contagious disease that had the ability to induce crippling effects on its victims. Today, Polio is primarily thought of as a vaccine rather than a virus. However, for those who survived the weakness and paralysis of Polio in the past, the effects are resurfacing in a condition known as “Post Polio Syndrome” (PPS). The National Institute of Health estimates that as many as 250,000 Polio survivors in the United States currently experience symptoms of PPS. As a degenerative neuromuscular disorder, PPS affects lower motor neurons. Symptoms commonly associated with PPS are related to biomechanical dysfunctions resulting from muscular atrophy. The natural progression of the disorder involves a fluctuating course of progressive weakness, with intermittent periods of stability. Appropriate management of biomechanical dysfunction during periods of stability can help to prevent the onset of instability. Therefore, chiropractic care can be a critical component of the management plan for prolonging periods of stability in PPS. Being a diagnosis of exclusion, PPS can mimic several other conditions for which patients commonly seek chiropractic care, such as spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathies, and degenerative disc disease. Consequently, the Doctor of Chiropractic must be able to differentiate between stable and unstable forms of PPS, exclude various differential diagnoses, and design a management plan appropriate for each stage of PPS.

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