title: Effective intervention strategies for management of impaired posture and fatigue with post-polio syndrome: a case report.
abstract: This case report describes effective intervention strategies that included gait training with the use of an acceptable, assistive device for the management of impaired posture and fatigue associated with post-polio syndrome. Review of videotaped gait-training sessions enhanced patient compliance with the assistive device, a single forearm crutch. The 49-year-old female acquired childhood polio with resulting leg length discrepancy, lower extremity weakness, and complaints of fatigue. She walked with a right ankle foot orthosis and increased right lateral trunk flexion during right stance. Interventions consisted of patient education regarding the diagnosis and management of post-polio syndrome, health promotion, and energy conservation strategies that included gait training with a single forearm crutch. An outcome measure not previously documented in the post-polio literature was used to measure the patient's perceived fatigue. Six-month and 18-month reexaminations found that the patient was compliant with the assistive device, reported a 30% reduction in fatigue, and walked with a more upright posture for longer distances in a shorter period of time. Patient education, health promotion, and energy conservation strategies that included walking with a properly fitting assistive device reduced perceived fatigue and improved posture and function in an individual with post-polio syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. wisehh@musc.edu
authors.forename: Holly H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D001915:Braces; D003446:Crutches; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D016262:Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D011187:Posture