What is Post Polio Muscle Atrophy?
Some patients who had paralytic polio many years ago have recently experienced deterioration in their muscle strength after having been stable for a long time. In addition to increasing weakness in muscles known to be previously damaged, loss of strength and fatigue in muscles which had been functioning well has also been found. Some survivors of polio have experienced increasing difficulty in breathing due to weakness of the chest muscles. Very frequently, pain previously absent, has been reported in muscles and joints. This condition is Post Polio Muscle Atrophy or PPMA. What Causes PPMA? Post Polio Muscles Atrophy is not a reinfection of the polio virus or a reactivation of the virus many years after the initial attack. The disease is not starting up again. The most likely explanation is an acceleration of the aging process in polio survivors. As we age, our bodies experience a decrease in the number of cells in the spinal cord called anterior horn cells which transmit nerve impulse
