For polio survivors, rehabilitation after major surgery like spinal fusion is uniquely challenging and lengthy. The process is deliberately slow to avoid overwhelming the body's limited energy reserves, focusing first on basic wound healing and then on very gradual strengthening. Regaining pre-surgery levels of function often takes a minimum of 6 to 12 months, with many patients describing a recovery timeline that stretches over several years as they learn to adapt to their new spinal stability. Satisfaction is often mixed; patients are typically very pleased with the significant reduction in pain and improved sitting/standing posture, which greatly enhances quality of life. However, in terms of improved mobility, the result is more complex. The surgery often provides a more stable base, but overall mobility may not improve and can even decline. This is largely because patients must rely heavily on their arms and shoulders for mobility (e.g., using walkers or crutches) during recovery, which can lead to new, permanent weakness in the upper limbs, ultimately trading spinal pain for increased arm weakness.