Panama City Podiatrist says Neck Pains can be caused by your Feet

Here is something I wrote national back in January

If you are searching the web looking for treatment for your neck pains (arthritis), then don’t be shocked if you find links to podiatry articles, since there is much more of a connection between your feet and your neck than you may think!

One website has recently reposted an old article explaining a medical connection between Morton’s Toe and neck arthritis because the information has been deemed “Important” to readers (http://neckarthritistreatment.org/tag/important/page/18/).  According to the posting, a leading expert on a condition called “Morton’s Toe,” (or longer second toe)–Dr. Burton S. Schuler, makes a convincing case for he impact that a longer second toe can have on pain everywhere in the body–including neck arthritis.  On the website based on his book, Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts in the Foot, Schuler explains how arthritis can eventually form from a Morton’s Toe. “If your foot is constantly being abused on a day-in day-out basis due to an untreated Morton’s Toe or other foot problems, sooner or later the damage to these joints and other soft tissue structures will end up giving you some form of arthritis” (http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/mortons-toe/arthritis-and-the-mortons-toe/).

Arthritis is a disease affecting joints and the soft tissues in and around the joints (http://www.footcare4u.com/arthritis/). It can form when extra strain is placed on joints, and this is frequently the case with Morton’s Toe.  Morton’s Toe can throw off the natural foot step, causing an imbalance that places stress all over the body. (Schuler recommends a simple toe pad under the first toe for treatment.)  But how can the stress caused by a longer second toe extend as far as the neck?  That is a very good question that begs elaboration.

In his book, Schuler explains that many patients whom he treated for Morton’s Toe reported a positive impact on pain elsewhere in their bodies

Schuler bases this hypothesis on the writing of Dr. Janet Travell, who treated both Presidents Kennedy and  Johnson (http://whyyoureallyhurt.com/resources/dr-janet-travell/).  Travell incorporated early research on Morton’s Toe in her writings on Myofascial Pain Syndrome–an extremely painful muscular condition that occurs all over and is closely related to Fibromyalgia.  Schuler extends this logic to include painful arthritic conditions, such as that found in the neck.

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).