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  Physical Disability

Core information

What causes physical disability?

Poliomyelitis

People contract polio when one or more polio viruses enter the body. The usual place of entry is through the mouth but sometimes the entry takes place through the respiratory tract or the lymph glands.

When initially infected (stage one), people experience "flu-like" symptoms such as mild fever or diarrhoea. For many people the infection ends at this point.

Stage two of the infection occurs when the virus multiplies in the gut and moves into the bloodstream. Symptoms at this time still resemble the "flu" and may include a stiff neck and aches all over the body. Once again the infection, for many, does not progress beyond this point.

About 20 percent of people infected by a polio virus enter stage three. At this point the virus moves across the blood- brain barrier and enters the central nervous system. The virus infects the anterior horns of the spinal cord causing damage to the motor neurones (nerve cells) which are responsible for moving the skeletal muscles. Damage to the motor neurones leads to the varying degrees of paralysis called polio. 

C A U S E S  O F  P O L I O

The cause of polio was unknown until the late 1930s. At this time, the three different polio viruses were discovered.

P O S T P O L I O  S Y N D R O M E

Symptoms associated with the "late effects of polio" or "post polio syndrome" are not related to age nor do all people with polio experience them. The most common symptoms include:

• lack of strength and endurance
• pain in muscles and joints
• breathing, swallowing or speaking difficulties

These symptoms are now being recognised and investigated. Early acknowledgment of new symptoms and medical assessment to exclude other causes are important.

I M P L I C AT I O N S  F O R  D A I LY  L I V I N G

• callipers and other aids may be used to assist mobility adversely affected by temperature extremes

• ramps are difficult to navigate for people using callipers; also uneven surfaces such as gravel paths

• hand rails may also be needed 

The cause of polio was unknown until the late
1930s. At this time, the three different polio viruses
were discovered.