How Do Doctors Treat Polio?
There is no cure for polio. Doctors can only treat the symptoms while the infection runs its course. The most common treatments include:
•rest
•painkillers to relieve headaches, muscle aches, and muscle spasms
•antibiotics for urinary tract infections
•portable ventilators to help with breathing
•physical therapy and/or corrective braces to help with walking
•heating pads or warm towels to ease muscle aches and spasms
•physical therapy to treat pain in the affected muscles
•physical therapy to address breathing and pulmonary problems and then pulmonary rehabilitation to increase the patient’s pulmonary endurance as the acute breathing problems improve
•In advanced cases of leg weakness, when a patient has difficulty walking he or she may need a wheelchair or other mobility device