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In January 1922, FDR was fit with braces that locked in at the knee and continued the length of his leg, and by the spring of that year he could stand with assistance. By the winter of that year, his arms regained strength, his nervous system was functioning normally, and his stomach and lower back were getting stronger (Gallagher 23).
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He had realized that his legs could support the weight of his body in water with ease and used swimming as his main exercise. FDR began routinely swimming three times a week in the Astor pool and in the pond. For several years, his main focus shifted from politics to recovering from his paralysis. It was during fall of 1921, when FDR made the decision to remove himself from political life in order to begin his rehabilitation process at his home in Hyde Park, New York. At the young age of thirty-nine, FDR became a victim of infantile paralysis. This made FDR rethink the actuality of having the disease since he could recall frequently becoming ill as a young boy, but for the past few years he had been leading a stressful life in politics that may have weakened his immunity. Lovett explained that in order for a person to combat poliomyelitis, they must be in good emotional and physical health and have a healthy immune system. Most cases of the disease were acquired during infancy, but most children become immune to the disease by the age of four. Lovett, who was an expert on the disease, insisted Franklin stop the massages, as they were not helping the situation and possibly making it worse he instead suggested that he take hot baths.īoth FDR and Eleanor were surprised by this verdict, as it was uncommon for a middle aged person to contract polio.
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At that time, polio had no known cure and often resulted in full or partial paralysis and the erosion of one’s motor skills. Robert Lovett, diagnosed FDR with infantile paralysis (i.e. On August 25, 1921, another physician, Dr. The massage therapy continued but did not prove to be successful in curing the paralysis. Keen that his earlier diagnosis was incorrect and instead he claimed the distress was being caused by spinal lesion. Keen who insisted the issue stemmed from a blood clot located in the lower spinal cord and recommended that he receive lumbar massages daily in order to help circulation.
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His skin quickly became very sensitive and eventually even a slight breeze across his body caused great distress.Įleanor, who couldn’t bear to see her husband in such anguish, began to contact a handful of doctors, hoping one of them would be able to find a remedy to his unknown infirmity. As the day progressed, he could feel his legs becoming weaker and by the third day, he could no longer hold his own weight. The following day, FDR complained of lower back pain and went for a swim in hopes to ease the soreness. During the summer of 1921, FDR was enjoying a day of sailing on his yacht when he suddenly fell overboard into the icy waters of the Bay of Fundy, which ironically felt paralyzing to his body.
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