Home Treatment

Home treatment for post-polio syndrome (PPS) involves taking care of your physical health and your overall well-being. A combination of exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate rest can help meet both of these needs.

Exercise

Exercise can improve your aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and endurance, and it can help you maintain or achieve a healthy weight. Exercise not only improves your overall health, but also may make you feel better about yourself.

Your doctor can help decide what kind of exercise program may be most helpful. After your doctor helps you establish an exercise program, it will be important for you to follow it. Avoid overexercising and overusing your muscles, which can increase muscle fatigue and pain. Work up to, but not beyond, the point at which you start to get tired. Exercise that is done within your physical limits and that does not tire you during or after exercise may greatly benefit you.

A balanced diet

A balanced diet for a person who has PPS is the same diet that is recommended for most healthy adults. It includes fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, legumes, poultry, fish, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products.

Eating a balanced diet, especially when combined with regular exercise, can help you control your weight. This can help reduce some symptoms of PPS. Being overweight causes additional wear and tear on knees and ankles that are already stressed because of weakened muscles. This additional stress can lead to joint damage (osteoarthritis), which in turn can cause more joint pain. Losing weight may relieve some of this increased stress on your joints.

Rest

Getting enough rest and establishing good sleep habits are important parts of home treatment as well. Naps and rest periods during the day can help you recover from the fatigue of exercise and allow you to increase your endurance.