MovieChat Forums > Warm Springs (2005) Discussion > A doubt on FDR's condition

A doubt on FDR's condition


In this film when the doctor visits Roosevelt for the first time (and he is lying on that kind of sofa bed or whatever) he asks him to take his hand and he can't move it but later on (for example when they are all around the Christmas tree celebrating Christmas) he can move his arms perfectly well is this a mistake from the movie or you can recover a bit from polio??

Thanks for helping

reply

When FDR was first stricken and the polio was in an active state he was affected very severely. He had a fever and great pain. He lost not only the use of his legs but also his back muscles, some abdominal muscles (he couldn't sit up for example) and use of his left arm/hand for many weeks/months. However as the disease abated, he regained use of his back and arms, etc. But the nerve damage to the legs was so severe that he could not move them, although he could feel pain/warmth etc. So the warm springs felt wonderful and in the water he could actually exercise the few remaining nerve/muscle connections, something he couldn't do in regular gravity. Also he liked a hard drink around dinnertime because it warmed up his legs which were sore and stiff by then.

reply

He lost the use of his thumbs and bodily functions. So, he had to be diapered and catheterized by Eleanor and Louis Howe.

Yes, some of his muscles recovered.

reply

Now they're saying FDR might not have had polio at all but instead Guillain-Barre syndrome. The majority of the symptoms he had were more consistent with the latter than the former. The key factor here is that he never had a spinal tap done on him which is how polio is diagnosed so we'll never know for sure.

reply