My “Good” Knee is Giving Out
Original Post: I had polio at the age of 2 yrs. For many years, my good knee has suddenly started “giving way”. It is not painful but very distressing for me and anyone who witnesses this happening. It has worsened in the last months.
Additional Post: Once the "giving way" falls start, it’s time to just save what is left of that leg ability to use for transfers (very short walking) and not rely on it for “regular“ walking. Be very very good to your knees.
Additional Post: I have had 4 falls the past week, caused by my “good” leg giving out. My “good” leg is just getting weaker and weaker. They want to do strength training.
Dr. Bruno’s Response: It often surprised Post-Polio Institute patients that I was never surprised when they reported that their “good leg” or “unaffected limb” was getting weaker. As Dr. David Bodian taught us from his research in the 1940s, there is no such thing as an unaffected muscle in a polio survivor. There are just greater and lesser affected muscles based on how many motor neurons turning that muscle on were killed were damaged.
There aren’t types of polio re: paralytic vs non-paralytic or bulbar and spinal. Every polio survivor had neurons killed in the “bulb” of the brain, the bottom part of the brain stem. In terms of paralytic and non-paralytic, there are not two groups but a continuum from those who had:
"Non-paralytic” polio survivors -
Less than 60% of motor neurons were damaged
Paralytic polio survivors -
More than 60% of motor neurons damaged
So a "good knee” suddenly giving way is most likely a symptom of overuse of the reduced number of remaining, poliovirus-damaged neurons, overuse caused by those neurons taking up the slack for a more affected leg or arm. This is why polio survivors should never do exercises to strengthen their weakening, but “good," limb.
If your leg is getting weaker and your knee has started giving way - like the song says
"Sit down you're rockin' the boat”
There is more information in the Encyclopedia of Polio and PPS. Take a look under the topic(s) of: “Poliovirus” and “Knee” in the Index.