Post-Polio Syndrome

Post-polio syndrome (PPS, or post-poliomyelitis syndrome or post-polio sequelae) is a condition that affects approximately 25–50% of people who have previously contracted poliomyelitis—a viral infection of the nervous system—after the initial infection. Typically the symptoms appear 15–30 years after recovery from the original paralytic attack, at an age of 35 to 60. Symptoms include acute or increased muscular weakness, pain in the muscles, and fatigue. The same symptoms may also occur years after a nonparalytic polio (NPP) infection. The precise mechanism that causes PPS is unknown. It shares many features with the post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome, but unlike that disorder it tends to be progressive, and as such can cause a tangible loss of muscle strength. Treatment is primarily limited to adequate rest, conservation of available energy, and supportive measures, such as leg braces and energy-saving devices such as powered wheelchairs, analgesia (pain relief) and sleep aids.

Increased activity during intervening healthy years between the original infection and onset of PPS can amplify the symptoms. Thus, contracting poliomyelitis at a young age can result in particularly disabling PPS symptoms.

Numerous theories have been proposed to explain post-polio syndrome. Despite this, there are currently no absolutely defined causes of PPS.

Diagnosis of post-polio syndrome can be difficult, since the symptoms are hard to separate from complications due to the original poliomyelitis infection, and from the normal infirmities of aging. There is no laboratory test for post-polio syndrome, nor are there any other specific diagnostic criteria. … In general, PPS is a diagnosis of exclusion whereby other possible causes of the symptoms are eliminated.

Sounds like CFS to me! I wonder what happens if you have post-polio and fall into the hands of the psychobabblers: CBT/GET for you! After all, without a definite cause, it must be psychosomatic (sorry for my sarcasm).

But there is some training that should and can be done:

Muscle training at aerobic levels without maximum exercise is useful to maintain muscular function and ameliorate fatigue13 and muscular training in warm water seems to be particularly useful. … Inactivity increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, and muskuloskeletal problems and so polio patients who take part in physical activity have significantly less symptoms than physically inactive patients. All polio patients with or without post-polio syndrome should therefore be advised to take part in physical activity, but they should not be performing static muscular training at maximum effort (anaerobic level) and they should allow intermittent breaks.

Elisabeth Farbu: Post-Polio Syndrome – Diagnosis and Management

No anaerobic training – same as in ME/CFS.

By the way:

Factors that increase the risk of polio infection or affect the severity of the disease include immune deficiency, malnutrition, tonsillectomy, physical activity immediately following the onset of paralysis, skeletal muscle injury due to injection of vaccines or therapeutic agents, and pregnancy.

And:

The molecular mechanisms by which poliovirus causes paralytic disease are poorly understood. Early symptoms of paralytic polio include high fever, headache, stiffness in the back and neck, asymmetrical weakness of various muscles, sensitivity to touch, difficulty swallowing, muscle pain, loss of superficial and deep reflexes, paresthesia (pins and needles), irritability, constipation, or difficulty urinating.