"Dr. Burton S. Schuler, Morton's Toe Expert"- Author of Why You Really Hurt, It All Starts In the Foot.

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Burning Feet or Diabetic Neuropathies| Which one do you have?

 

Authored by Dr. Burton S. Schuler,
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On a regular basis patient come to see me for help with burning of their feet. Many of them has been told by their family doctor or another physician that the reason for their burning feet is due to a condition known as “Peripheral or Diabetic  Neuropathies”. A lot of these people have been prescribed various medications such as Lyrcia, Cymbalta or Neurontin for this condition, but, have not gotten any better after using these drugs for some time. Why They are not Better. The truth of the matter is that many times these people have been misdiagnosed, and don’t have Peripheral Neuropathies but really have a Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) . The average physician is not trained about the Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) and does not understand how it can cause burning feet. This oversight occurs all the time but is really important if the patient is a diabetic. I wrote about this in detail in my book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, here is what I said, Do You Really Have Nerve Damage Due to Diabetes or Just Bad Feet? Please allow me to tell you this story. You are a diabetic, and like millions of other diabetics, you are most likely either on a special diet and/or taking some oral medication or insulin. One day, you go see your doctor for a scheduled appointment. He could be a general practitioner, an internist or an endocrinologist (diabetic specialist); it does not matter. In passing, you mention that you have some burning or pain on the balls of your feet. Your doctor is concerned about this because burning, pain or numbness of the feet is a frequent complication of diabetes. He may think that you are now having serious nerve changes caused by the diabetes, which are called Diabetic Neuropathies. Based on his training and experience, this is a perfectly normal assumption by your doctor. At that point, your doctor will most likely do one of two things. He might send you to a neurologist (nerve specialist) to be examined, or he might write you a prescription. After several months of taking the medication, one of two things occurs. You either feel better, or you continue to have burning or other discomforts on the balls of your feet. If you still have burning, you go back to your doctor, and he will most probably tell you to increase the dose of your medicine. But, there is another possible reason for your feet to burn or hurt if you are a diabetic I have been a professional member of the American Diabetes Association for the majority of the years I have been a foot specialist. Because of that, I do have a pretty good understanding of diabetic neuropathies… What I have seen and believe is that the burning pain, especially on the balls of the feet of fairly healthy and well-managed diabetics, very often is due to Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) and not due to diabetic neuropathies. Of course, there are those people who will develop nerve damage from their diabetes, but typically, these patients have been diabetics for many years, AND have not taken care of themselves. This is not the average diabetic. What I am trying to say is that if you are a diabetic, and your feet burn or hurt, it is very possible that it is not caused by nerve damage from your sugar, but rather, it is due to the fact that you have a pair of crummy feet–You picked the wrong parents! It is very possible that many diabetics are taking medications that are not benefiting them when what they really need is to treat their burning, painful feet is a simple Toe Pad. Many physicians are simply not aware of what I just told you. In fact, they would be happy and eager to know that there was another treatment, other than medication, for their diabetic patients with burning feet. Regardless, you need to find out. If you are a diabetic, of any type, you should see your podiatrist at least once a year. He will then be able to evaluate your feet. Then you will know if your problems are due to bad feet or to diabetic nerve complications, or both. (Copyright 2009 Dr. Burton S. Schuler, ) If you are being treated for Diabetic Neuropathies or Peripheral Neuropathies and you are not getting any better check to see if you have a Morton’s Toe (Long Second Toe) .

Here is a youtube video about burning on the balls off your feet.

Low-Tech Treatment for Common Foot Issues

Here is something about a new treatment for diabetic ulcers from the first of the year

On December 10, 2010, Sanuwave  Health, Inc. , a medical technology company focusing on regenerative medicine–reported it has submitted the first round of applications for a device that treats diabetic foot ulcers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Sanuwave  (http://www.sanuwave.com) focuses on the development and commercialization of non-invasive, biological response activating devices for the repair and regeneration of tissue, musculoskeletal and vascular structures.   Sanuwave ‘s products and product candidates include vascularization and circulation, and restoring the body’s natural healing process.  According to the website, the company has demonstrated this technology is safe and effective in stimulating healing in chronic conditions of the foot (such as plantar fasciitis).

While it is good news that we have more options for treatment for conditions such as foot ulcers and plantar fasciitis, Sanuwave’s treatments are experimental and promise to be expensive.  Plantar fasciitis (or heel pain syndrome) is a very common foot problem that 2 million Americans are diagnosed with each year: it involves inflammation of the rubber-band structure that holds together the inside part of your With so many new people experiencing this painful condition each year, are there any other treatments that require less high-tech gadgets and are ideally less complicated and expensive?

The answer to this question is “yes,” according to Dr. Burton S. Schuler who has practiced podiatry in Panama City, Florida  and has subsequently seen his share of both plantar fasciitis and diabetic foot ulcers.  Schuler’s practice focuses on prevention of foot problems, and he contends that one major way to avoid plantar fasciitis and foot ulcers is by checking to see if you have a longer second toe  http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/mortons-toe/what-is-a-mortons-toe/

If you suffer from “Morton’s Toe”, or longer toe, then your foot can be in pain because the second toe meets the ground before the first toe, throwing off normal foot pronation.  This causes numerous problems, including calluses that can develop into ulcers for a diabetic (http://www.footcare4u.com/category/diabetes/) and heel problems– such as plantar fasciitis.

While companies such as Sanuwave continue to develop high-tech problems for treating common foot issues using complex medical technology, Dr. Schuler’s treatment–a toe pad placed under the first toe to correct abnormal pronation– is refreshingly low-tech and more widely accessible  http://www.footcare4u.com/category/about-dr-schuler/

WHAT IS A MORTON’S TOE OR LONG SECOND TOE

In the 1920’s and 1930”s Dr. Dudley J. Morton of Yale Medical School and Columbia Medical School wrote that a problem with the 1st metatarsal bone, known as a Morton’s Toe  http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/mortons-toe/what-is-a-mortons-toe/ could be the reason for most foot problems. Dr. Janet Travel, White House physician to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at George Washington University took this concept further by writing and teaching that the Morton’s Toe could cause pain all over your body. She wrote and taught for four decades that a Morton’s Toe could cause back, hip, knee, leg foot and ankles problems. She felt that the Morton’s Toe, was so important that at the age of 89 she made a video tape to teach other physicians about how to recognize it and how to treat it.

Dr. Schuler talks about Preventing Diabetic Amputations

Here is a important article about Diabetes that was pickup national

Mortons’s Pad that can help prevent foot ulcers

People with diabetes mellitus, a disorder in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high, are at risk for foot ulcers.  If you ask Dr. Burton S. Schuler, Panama City Podiatrist, member of the American Diabetes Association, and Certified Wound Specialist, how to avoid the diabetic foot ulcers (wounds) that lead to amputation, he would suggest we consider how treating a longer second toe (Morton’s Toe) by placing a simple toe pad beneath the first toe impacts the creation of foot ulcers that lead to amputation.  www.WhyYouReallyHurt.Com

Diabetes mellitus’ elevated blood sugar levels cause blood vessels to thicken, becoming less able to supply the body with blood (http://www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/d/footulcers.htm). Also, plaque is likely to build up in blood vessels (called atherosclerosis).  This causes poor circulation, leading to foot ulcers, which look like painful, red foot sores that can discharge pus when infected.

Foot ulcers start as skin calluses, and calluses can be caused by abnormal pronation from a longer second toe; this occurs when the foot repeatedly hits the ground incorrectly. Since diabetes causes foot problems due to nerve damage (neuropathy) and poor blood flow (diabetes can cause blood vessels to narrow and harden), a callus can become a serious complication for the diabetic.  Calluses can get very thick, break down, and turn into ulcers.  Neglecting ulcers can result in infections, which in turn can lead to loss of a limb through surgical amputation (http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/foot-complications.html).

Many websites that address diabetic foot state that most amputations are preventable with care of wounds and proper footwear(http://www.foothealthfacts.org/footankleinfo/diabetic_peripheral_neuro.htm.)  However, they fail to mention how Morton’s Toe can be a cause of calluses and lead to ulcers and amputation.  Since ulcers occur on the ball of the foot or on the bottom of the big toe,  Dr. Schuler reminds us that treating a Morton’s Toe can help prevent calluses long before they turn into ulcers and require amputation.

About the Author:  Dr. Burton S. Schuler foot doctor, foot specialist, podiatrist  of Panama City, Fl and the director of the Ambulatory Foot Clinics Podiatric Pain Management Center  and is a leading authority on the Morton’s Toe,  Long Second Toe and it associated problems. He is the author of the newly published book about The Morton’s Toe, Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In the Foot. The book is published by the La Luz Press, Inc and is disturbed national by the Cardinal Publishing Group.  Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foot, is the story of how one bone in your foot could be the real reason for pains thru out your whole body. It is important because it offer the public new information about why millions of people suffer everyday with aches and pains, and offers new hope to get rid of problems they believed they would have to live with forever. It literally can be the “medical missing link”

Dr. Schuler, graduated from the N. Y. College of Podiatric Medicine in 1975 at the age of twenty-four, and has been in private practice ever since. In 1982, he published his first book, The Agony of De-Feet: A Podiatrist Guide to Foot Care. During his thirty-five year professional career, he has written for Collier’s Encyclopedia and various podiatric journals and publications. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, First in Women, and other publications. Dr. Schuler has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs both here and aboard. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, and the National Board of Podiatric Examiners. Dr. Schuler is certified as a wound specialist from the American Academy of Wound Management. His professional and civic accomplishments have earned his inclusion in the 1999-2002 Who’s Who in America (Marquis).

Our Bleak Diabetic Forecast: A Florida Podiatrist’s Viewpoint


New data released by The Institute for Alternative Futures from the recent study, United States’ Diabetes Crisis: Today and Future Trends, reveal several important trends that have far-reaching public health consequences. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia reports that approximately 26 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes; more shocking is that almost 79 million more people have “pre diabetes” symptoms. In 2007, the cost of pre diabetes and diabetes was estimated at $218 billion and will rise. As more patients experience disease progression and require clinical care, the health care system, and all kinds of health care providers, will feel the impact of this public health crisishttp://www.altfutures.org/diabetes2025).

From medical doctors and nutritionists, educators and nurses, professionals who interact with diabetic and prediabetic people have an important role to play addressing patients’ needs. Dr. Burton Schuler,http://www.footcare4u.com/category/about-dr-schuler/ who practices podiatry in Panama City, Florida, and has treated hundreds of diabetes patients’ over three decades, weighs in on diabetes and foot health in his book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts in the Foot http://www.whyyoureallyhurt.com). He literally sees things from the ground up, as many diabetic patients experience poor circulation in their feet—leading to the tragic but all too common need for amputation. What Schuler points out is that patients with diabetic neuropathy can avoid further foot problems if they have “Morton’s Toe”– short first metatarsal bone.

A short first toe can intensify complications for diabetics because the foot’s weight is unevenly distributed since the first toe does not do the work it should be doing. You can imagine that if you already have a condition like Morton’s Toe—that can lead to bunions, hammer toes, plantar fasciitis, and other foot problems—then you are setting yourself up for complications if it remains untreated http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/mortons-toe/pronation/). Schuler prescribes a simple toe pad that can be placed under the first toe to redistribute proper balance in the foot.

While diabetes may not be as simple to treat, correcting other foot problems can go a long way to ensure that bad feet can’t be misdiagnosed as diabetic neuropathy–burning pain and numbness in the feet http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/mortons-toe/diabetes-2/). Such a misdiagnosis can lead you down a path of more doctors and specialists—such as neurologists—when a trip to the podiatrist’s office and a diagnosis of Morton’s Toe can alleviate pain. This is news to consider as we figure out ways to militate against the growing diabetes epidemic and all of its accompanying medical complications.

Dr. Burton S. Schuler is a foot doctor, foot specialist (Podiatrist), of Panama City, Fl and the director of the Ambulatory Foot Clinics Podiatric Pain Management Center. He is also the author of the new book Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts In The Foo

Circulation Problems in Diabetics

As a foot specialist, podiatrist I treated patients in my office in Panama City, Fl on a daily basis with Peripheral Vascular Disease. Poor circulation, also known as Peripheral Vascular Disease is a common complication in diabetics who have had the disease for some time. It is due to the excess buildup of sugar in the body. This tends to cause an increase in the fat and cholesterol, which then results in a narrowing or closing off of both the larger and smaller blood vessels. This results in less oxygen and nourishment being supplied to the feet and toes. When this does happen, the skin may break down, sores may then occur, which then can lead to infection and or ulcers, gangrene and possible amputation.
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is also a condition in which the arteries become clogged. Because of this leg cramps or pain that becomes worse with walking or other activity, is a common symptom Other symptoms may include leg numbness, tingling, or weakness. The feet also are cold or discolored, with loss of hair.

What is Diabetes explains Dr. Burton S. Schuler, foot doctor

As most foot doctor, podiatirst I treat patients daily with diabetes in my offfice in Panama City Fl.

What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a malfunction in the way our body digests food for growth and energy. It is a serious, life-long disorder that is as yet incurable. In the non-diabetic, a chemical called glucose (sugar) is formed when the food we eat is broken down by the digestive system. After the glucose is formed, it goes into our blood where our body uses it to supply our cells for energy and growth. In order for this to occur, a hormone called Insulin, which is made by the pancreas, must be present.
In people who don’t have diabetes, the pancreas will produce the proper level of insulin so glucose can properly be absorbed by our body. In people with diabetes, not enough insulin, if any, is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas; or the body refuses to respond to the insulin that is made. Because of this, in the diabetic, glucose is not absorbed properly by the cells and then accumulates in the blood. The start of diabetes is when the glucose abnormally builds up in the blood and is not absorbed properly by the body. If that is allowed to occur uncontrolled for a long period of time, we get the long-term Complications associated with diabetes that affect almost every major part of the body. It can cause blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, amputations, nerve damage, and birth defects in babies born to women with diabetes. Its most common symptoms are excessive thirst, blurred vision, fatigue, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, changes in appetite, irritability, itchy skin, sweet-smelling breath, slow healing of cuts, nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain.
Ignoring the symptoms of diabetes can lead to a variety of other health complications, including blindness, amputations, heart attacks and kidney disease. Although diabetes occurs most often in older adults, it is one of the most common chronic disorders in children. Diabetes can develop in people of any age or ethnic background, although some groups appear to be at higher risk for certain types of diabetes. It occurs almost equally among males and females, and it is more common in the white, non-Hispanic population. For some unknown reasons several northern European countries, including Finland and Sweden, have very high rates of diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association in their book DIABETES 1996 VITAL STATISTICS, we know the following facts about Diabetes.

* About 16 million people in the United States in 1994 were projected to have diabetes mellitus or about 6% of the population.
* Each year, 500,000 to 700,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes.
* Almost half of these people do not know they have diabetes and are not under medical care.
* Each year, 11,000 to 12,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with diabetes.
* In terms of medical care, treatment supplies, hospitalizations, time lost from work, disability payments, and premature death, diabetes cost this country $92 billion in 1992, which was the last year records were available.
* In 1993 4.2 million women and 3.6 million men were diagnosed with diabetes.
* Native Americans have the highest rates of diabetes in the world, upwards of 50% of their population.
* Approximately 9.6% of African Americans have diabetes.
* Approximately 6.2 % of White Americans have diabetes.
* It was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 1993: 385,000 died in 1993, who had diabetes; 169,000 deaths were directly related to having diabetes or its complication