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 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%