Muscle strength in postpolio patients: a prospective follow-up study

Forty-three former polio patients now complaining of new progressive muscle weakness (symptomatic patients) plus 13 former polio patients without new neuromuscular complaints were included in the study. The symptomatic patients reported high frequencies of other neuromuscular complaints and a decline in their functional level. Most frequent complaints were general fatigue, low backache, and muscle pain (97.7%, 86%, and 79.1%, respectively) and a decline in the ability to walk (80%). In a prospective follow-up averaging 2.1 years, the muscle strength of 26 muscles in all four limbs of each patient was assessed by manual muscle testing and was also measured isometrically using a handheld dynamometer. During the follow-up period, we did not find a significant decrease in muscle strength in the symptomatic patients as compared to patients without new neuromuscular complaints.