Recovery in lower limb muscles in poliomyelitis of 6 months' duration

Summary

362 muscles in different grades of post-polio residual paralysis of 6 months' duration were studied for a period of three months. There was a good potential for recovery. The extent of recovery depended on the extent of damage and the duration of the disease. The pattern of involvement and recovery had been almost similar in the present and the previous study. The prognosis of completely paralysed muscles is very poor (almost nil) after six months of the onset of paralysis.

The present study confirms that patients reporting earlier have better chances for an increased quantum of recovery but does not rule out the fact that patients reporting late also have some potential for recovery. The mean increase in units per muscle was consistently higher in patients reporting during the first three months after the onset of the disease when compared to patients reporting after a six months' lapse, both having received similar treatment.