What Are The Symptoms Of Polio?

Loss Of Reflexes

Following the muscle weakness, an affected individual who has not been treated begins to experience a loss of reflexes. A reflex is a response by the body that occurs as a reaction to stimulus such as immediately removing the hand when it touches an extremely hot object. Sneezing, coughing, and blinking of the eyes are examples of other automatic reflexes. The reflex physicians usually check in an individual's legs is called the patellar reflex. When the patellar tendon is tapped, it stretches the muscle connected to the tendon. Nerve impulses are transmitted to the spinal cord, indicating this muscle has stretched. Almost immediately, a message is transmitted from the spinal cord back to the muscle. This impulse provokes a quick muscle contraction that causes the lower leg to kick in an outward direction. The patellar reflex is important to an individual's balance, and physicians use it to evaluate nervous system function. Polio patients initially experience agile reflexes and spasms before they rapidly lose reflex function.

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Floppy Limbs

An individual with polio can experience floppy limbs when their illness advances to a stage called paralytic poliomyelitis. Flaccid paralysis only occurs in less than one of every one hundred polio infections. Floppy limbs and loss of reflexes are the results of the virus infiltrating and destroying specific types of cells in the nervous system responsible for the activation of muscles. This process occurs following the general muscle weakness caused by damage to these same nerve cells. The muscles that rely on these specific nerve cells become completely non-functional, rather than reduced in function. Floppy limbs occur as a result of this malfunction. Floppy limbs can be described as acute flaccid paralysis. The limb or limbs become lifeless and do not respond to stimuli in the form of movements and reflexes. Before the affected individual begins to recover, the floppy limbs remain at the same level of severity for anywhere between several days to several weeks. While the majority of patients regain their motor function, some cases result in permanent paralysis.

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