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Suffering From Polio. Difficulty In Walking. Will It Be Safe To Go For Reconstructive Surgery?

Posted on Tue, 16 Oct 2012

Question: hi there
my uncle is 50 y/o married and got 2 boys. He is suffering from Polio since early childhood. It is in both legs more in the left to the right, causing a limp and resulting difficulty in walking dependably.He can not stand or walk on the sole of his feet fully, which makes it more tiring to walk for long distances.
would it be possible to do a reconstructive/correction surgery for his case?

Answered by Dr. Rahul D Chaudhari (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thanks for the query.

Polio leads to weakness in extremities and that leads to deformity of joints. He seemed to have equinus contracture of the ankle joints. Definitely it can be corrected surgically and fusing the joint in neutral position.

However before taking any decision it is important to clinically examine the patient.

Usually polio patients may have weakness in knee and ankle joints. Body develop these deformities to help them to ambulate without falling down. So just correcting only one deformity may / may not solve the problem. Therefore in your uncle's case it’s important to see the patient clinically to decide about correction of deformity. I would suggest getting him examined by the orthopedic specialist to know more about other joint deformities.

Hope this answers your query. Let me know if you have any other queries.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Rahul D Chaudhari (22 hours later)

Thenk you for the reply sir,

I would ask if you kindly suggest any health centers in the US (California/New York or Nevada) that can reveiw and propose a medical & surgical plan for my uncle's case.

Answered by Dr. Rahul D Chaudhari (5 hours later)

I would suggest you to go for Hospital for Special surgery in New York.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other concerns.
If all your queries are answered, please close this discussion.

Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Rahul D Chaudhari (23 hours later)

Is ther any specific doctor or center in NYC?

Answered by Dr. Rahul D Chaudhari (32 minutes later)

Hi,
Here is the hospital name- Hospital For Special Surgery (Orthopedic Hospital in New York). Foot and ankle surgeon- Dr Deland or Dr Levine.
I hope this information helps you.
Regards

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli