Wondering if there are any folks on here that can advise on a on the impacts on a person later in life that had polio in the 1920 thru early 1950's epidemic. Personal experience or that of someone you know. Did your / their physical ability or functionality decrease or other re-occurring health issues come on with age?

The reason for asking is I had polio with a direct impact of a smaller shorter leg leg and a curved spine. Now at 69 I am starting to have weakness in both legs, a hip issue (most likely due to the imbalance of leg lengths) and more shortness of breath issues. In seeing a physiotherapist that works with people that have had polio she advised that part of my breathing capacity could be due to polio in the spine as long term research has found that for people that had the disease in the upper body there was a high probability of reduced lung capacity as they aged. This does not show up as lung scarring just reduced capacity.

It will be interesting to see the tracking for long term impacts from people recovered from the current virus.

I knew a girl in high school in the 1960s. From polio, she had one leg shorter and smaller than the other. She walked with a pronounced limp. But otherwise she was normal. I heard recently that she was in a long term care facility, but I do not know the specifics of that. She would be 72 years of age today.

I have done work for a lady for 14 yrs that was afflicted.
Same conditions as yours, curved spine and a shorter week right leg.
She turns 77 , I believe in June. She’s a seriously determined lady, but she has had some issues with hips and knees that she is doing PT as we speak...

My mother's best friend from church had polio as a child growing up in the 20s and 30s. She died from complications in the early 70s. I remember her walking crippled with crutches. Same for another man from our church, same age. He was in really bad shape.

Difficulties that were seemingly overcome in early life can return as one ages. Shots and sugar cubes appeared when my age group was about 7 or 8 in the mid 1950's, so there are a few still around that weathered the initial storm. One close friend gradually lost his ability to stand and walk when he hit his mid-60', and I have second hand reports of others with similar issues. Best of luck, and a prayer going your way.

If one thinks he might be in that boat, I'd get started on the bucket list.

I hiked a peak this summer with a guy that was 65 who had polio as a child. Right foot/ankle was locked/malformed from the bug but was basically kicking my ass climbing 5k feet of vertical in about 2.5 hours time to the top. He stays very active and doesn't let the issue get to him. I'd say hard exercise is what enables him to do activities like climbing peaks in the first place. He did not mention whether or not he had spinal issues.

The similarity is interesting as is the determination / stubbornness. I was close to being in an iron lung and had a leg brace that I learned to live with out when I was young. Fast forward to present day and getting assessed on issues, the therapist says you should be wearing a brace and elevated shoe --- the look on my face stopped him. Then the next comment he made was I treat a lot of people and by far people that have had polio are the most stubborn self reliant determined to work their way through their situation that I see. There was no more mention of bracing or elevated shoe.

I do contribute my health assessments to the post polio syndrome as part of on-going research. Perhaps this may help others.

All the best to your friend.

You'll find out real soon, when the millions of new "immigrants" reach our country and bring back untold numbers of previously eradicated diseases.

1951. Missed half of first grade. One leg shorter. At 67 had to have L2-L5 fused. Have always had somewhat limited flexibility, especially in back and legs. Knees were always somewhat weak. 76 now and bad arthritis in hands, knees, feet and back. How much from polio, don't know, but I'd suspect a lot. The short leg ultimately wrecked the back.

I believe the high activity rate has kept me in good stead and the therapist said that was a key for people that had polio. Do what they can physically --- stay active. I had to see her as I had a slip and fall which resulted in a partial torn ACL, torn meniscus and torn cartilage in the polio leg. Good now and back to hiking 6 to 9 miles a day. I just do everything slower and have to think more when the ground starts looking dicey.




Papag - Thanks for this and I really wish you all the best in the future.

I had polio in the mid '50's. I don't remember a lot, but what I do remember isn't pleasant. I'm one of the lucky ones because I didn't have any side effects except that my legs were weak and cramp a lot. As I grew older even this went away and I could do what ever I wanted.

Until I fell out of the deer stand, at age 61, I did whatever I wanted. After they put me back together again, things are somewhat limited. I have aches and pains that are the results of the fall. My knees and shoulders are getting bad, but I think that is just caused by hard work catching up with me and to a degree heredity.

I really can't say that any of my aches and pains are from the polio. Like I said before, I'm one of the lucky ones.

Yep.

One of my Dad's co-worker had had polio when he was young. The desease caused a shorter and lame arm (I don't recall which one). Otherwise he was quite healthy and used to ride bicycle. As far as I know there were no other impacts due to the illness. He was born 1934 and died last year.

I remember it well, several kids I went to school with got it.

In the '50s I knew a couple of kids that had had polio. I don't know what happened to them. We were more afraid of polio than people are now afraid of Covid.

Dad had polio. about the age of 8 I believe it was so ths would have been 1952. He had a bit of weaker humped back ,but no so much as most didn't notice .

I'm a 50's baby and I remember the polio scares well. I remember getting the vaccine and how big a deal it was. Polio was a real epidemic. Remember all the posters of the kids in iron lungs?

All they closed were public swimming pools.

My grandmothers brother had it bad .contracted it in 1930's when he was a little kid,it twisted him up into a hunch back.one leg shorter,spine twisted,etc.
He became self employed and was as active as he could be.By the time he was in his mid 60's he was having trouble breathing,he passed out on his kitchen floor,never woke up.But my step dad and my father in law both had it and recovered from it and were fine.

It was some serious stuff in the day..it scared people, with good reason. But in retrospect, it was overplayed in my parents house in the '50's...everything they didn't want a young boy to do was met with a warning. "If you get wet in the creek you will get polio". "If you shoot birds in the cherry tree, you will get polio". "If you don't eat them turnips, you will get polio". You never seen a kid gobble down Dr Salk's sugar cube so fast and so eagerly in your life.

Right
Right

And then they start gettin all meryl streep karen on us and say they wont get their shots

A SaddleFred Bob will be all like “whut in tarnations...me neither, I wont be a 5-G antenna”

Settle down SaddleFred-Bob, you already had your shots.

My father born in 1921 caught polio and had to learn to walk again, and went on to win at high school track meets running the 220 yard race.

When I was in grade school in 1958, there was a girl in leg braces with polio.

The whole grade school stood in line 3 times and got our 3 polio shots. Those who scratched the scab, now have a scar on their shoulder.

[quote=HughW
The reason for asking is I had polio with a direct impact of a smaller shorter leg leg and a curved spine. Now at 69 I am starting to have weakness in both legs, a hip issue (most likely due to the imbalance of leg lengths) and more shortness of breath issues. In seeing a physiotherapist that works with people that have had polio she advised that part of my breathing capacity could be due to polio in the spine as long term research has found that for people that had the disease in the upper body there was a high probability of reduced lung capacity as they aged. This does not show up as lung scarring just reduced capacity
[/quote]
I am 77. I could take your entire paragraph and put my name on it.In my early teens I was exposed to my cousin for an entire week the before he was diagnosed with it.Later a doctor told me I most likely contracted a milder case of it as the entire left side of my body quit growing for about 6 months. Now I am lop sided and my right side has given me problems because of it.

Polo crippled a good family friend before they knew what polo was, much like FDR.

I had polio in 1951, 18 months of age. It was a mostly below the waist affair for me. I had scholeos while in the hospital but no lasting effect. I worked a lot of hard labor jobs while in college and strenghtened my back. The real effect was with legs/feet.

I had/have a very tight, non-stretching left hamstring/acheles tendon. The fix was a z cut tendon lengthening in high school. My left gastronemius did not develop properly or at all.
My right leg is about 1/4-3/8 shorter. I also had a club foot that was surgicly modified (triple orthodesis) during the summer before my senior year in high school. My right hamstring is weak.
I have been very active my whole life including being a gym rat for years. The major effect is that I can't run for sh*t. I also don't climb very well however, most folks can't tell I have any issues unless I am very tired. My right foot is misshapen and sized weird so my hiking boots are custom and I wear an extra insole in the right boot or running shoe to level my leg length.

So far I can't tell I have any post polio syndrome issues however, I'm not dead yet.

My issues and YMMV.

Thanks guys -- it seems to be a common theme that staying as active as possible delays / mitigates the effects of post polio syndrome. The polio physiotherapist I saw said much the same in that she was surprised at my activity level and encouraged me to keep it high as she saw quite a few people in my age bracket with polio that were now dependent on mechanical assistance of one form or another which she put down in many cases to a lack of activity.

I know there were a few people I went to school with that had polio worse than I did with full leg braces on both sides or needing walkers. Tough times back then for a lot of people.

I have no complaints about my life --- very active, worked hard, played hard -- just took me longer to get there as I am not a fast walker or runner. I can still put on the miles today and hopefully will be as active this next fall as I was this past one.

On post polio syndrome everything I have read is really not cure related -- more management of loss of function with physical therapy or pain management for the on-going nerve pain that can be present. Basically helping people age out.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the folks impacted by COVID as there will be post-covid symptoms for many.