Polo & Scoliosis

Polio is an infectious disease that can cause ongoing health problems in its survivors. Although vaccination has eradicated polio in the United States, adults who suffered from polio as children may have developed scoliosis as a result of the disease. Scoliosis is a disorder in which the spine is excessively curved, which may cause pain and other health problems. There are several treatment and management options for people suffering from scoliosis caused by polio.

About Polio

• Polio is a contagious viral disease that can cause paralysis and death. There is both a non-paralytic strain and a more severe paralytic strain of the disease. It is spread by mouth. Symptoms of both strains include fever, aches and muscles pains, stiffness, fatigue, vomiting and meningitis. Paralytic polio symptoms can also include severe aches and pains, flaccid limbs, loss of reflexes and sudden onset paralysis. Symptoms may last 2 to 10 days. While vaccination has eradicated polio in the USA (the last "wild" case was in 1979), it is still a threat to children and adults in the developing world. There is no cure for polio.

About Scoliosis

• Scoliosis is a spinal disorder in which, according to the Southwest Scoliosis Institute, the vertebrae rotate and create a curve in the upper or lower back. Scoliosis occurs for a number of different reasons. The causes of scoliosis may be idiopathic (unknown), congenital or developmental (the spine was born with a deformity), traumatic (due to a spinal injury) or neurological (caused by a brain disorder or injury). For most patients, the spine stops curving once the patient reaches adulthood, but for some, the curves may continue to grow. Scoliosis treatments range from physical therapy to braces to surgery in more severe cases.

Polio and Scoliosis

• Polio can be a neurological cause of scoliosis. Since polio has been eradicated in the United States, scoliosis caused by polio is no longer a problem for children, but adults who contracted polio as children may still suffer from this side effect. Scoliosis caused by polio is different from idiopathic scoliosis in the way that it progresses: according to Post-Polio Health International, scoliosis caused by polio affects the body after spinal maturity, while idiopathic scoliosis generally does not. Scoliosis caused by polio may remain minor and not require treatment, but it may also worsen over time or as a result of Post-Polio Syndrome.

Post-Polio Syndrome

• Adults who previously suffered from polio may develop new muscle weakness and wasting years after their initial attack. Increased fatigue, muscle weakness and skeletal deformities like scoliosis may develop and persist for over a year. All symptoms, including increased deformity or pain from scoliosis, should be investigated by a doctor to rule out other health problems. At the same time, it is sometimes difficult for polio survivors suffering from PPS to receive the correct diagnosis, as they may have contracted the polio virus in their childhoods many years before PPS symptoms present themselves. Not all adults who had polio in the past will get PPS.

Treatments for Scoliosis Caused by Polio

• Surgery that may be successful in young patients can pose more complications and be less successful in older patients. Cosmetic correction in adults also can require the removal of ribs, which is more dangerous than spinal surgery alone. Sometimes severe postural problems appear to be the result of scoliosis but can be adjusted through muscle correction. Because of the difficulties of scoliosis correction in adults, patients should thoroughly consult with a spinal specialist before going forward with surgery.

  PPS sufferers who also face increased scoliosis severity and pain may seek treatment for those individual symptoms (and may require surgery or therapy like any other scoliosis patient). There is currently no way to predict, prevent, or treat PPS. Regular exercise is recommended for management of its symptoms.