Having a “Good” Leg
Original Post: I’m feeling that my so-called “good” leg is not coping and might also need a brace. I’ve read that it takes 35 per cent more extra energy to move around on sticks and with braces. Do others have braced 'good' legs? My friend and fellow survivor got a knee brace on her "good" leg and it’s the best thing ever.
Dr. Bruno’s Response: Unfortunately there is no "good leg." You may have 80% of normal strength on a manual muscle test in your "good leg" and have it become weaker and more painful because it's:
Taking the load for your other leg and
Your "good leg" has only 60% of the neurons running the muscles that you were born with because the neurons were killed off by the poliovirus!
At the Post-Polio Institute, we found that the use of a light weight, composite brace to hold your "good" foot up and give you some push-off, significantly reduces both weakness and pain and normalizes your gate.