I should first introduce myself and make clear that I am not a
physiotherapist. I represent a patient information and advocacy
organisation based in Lincolnshire UK. I joined this list a few days ago
as part of an ongoing exercise in increasing awareness of post-polio
conditions in the medical professional community. I hope you will
forgive my jumping in with this short informational post. After this I
will limit myself to participation where appropriate. The Lincolnshire
Post-Polio Network believes in working *with* medical professionals and
consider ourselves as guests on forums such as this.

If you are treating patients who contracted polio at some stage and whom
are now many years later experiencing new symptoms of muscle weakness
and fatigue, there are important treatment guidelines that you need to
be aware of. Unfortunately, with the ever-increasing workload and volume
of updated information being added almost daily to the 'medical
knowledge-base' these guidelines do not always reach those treating
post-polio patients. In the particular field of physiotherapy this can
mean patients being prescribed exercise regimens that will in all
probability worsen the patients condition.

The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network is working on a range of projects
whose primary aim is increasing awareness among both medical
professionals and post-polio patients. One key project is our online
library which currently contains well over seventy articles. Many of
these are from peer-reviewed medical journals and all are full text not
abstracts.

http://www.zynet.co.uk/ott/polio/lincolnshire/library.html

In particular I would like to offer the following article as a suggested
starting point for physiotherapists. It goes by the title of
"PHYSIOTHERAPY MANAGEMENT OF THE LATE EFFECTS OF POLIO" and is by
Christine Uriadka, Physiotherapist at the Post Polio Clinic, West Park
Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. It is a revised transcript of presentation
given by the author in Winnipeg, Canada April, 1997.

http://www.zynet.co.uk/ott/polio/lincolnshire/library/westpark/physiothe
rapy.html

[Note the line wrap in the above URL. When copying and pasting please be
sure to include the complete address]

-- 
Chris Salter (Vice Chairman)             Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network
                    Registered Charity No. 1064177
          <URL:http://www.zynet.co.uk/ott/polio/lincolnshire/>
     Web Site & Vice Chairman Email: [log in to unmask]
           Honorary Secretary Email: [log in to unmask]
        Member of the British Healthcare Internet Association


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