Medicine

Medicine | Episode 3 — The Foot as a Foundation: A Conversation with Dr. Maddy Walkner

Most chronic pain doesn't begin where it hurts. In this episode of Medicine, Sean sits down with Dr. Maddy Walkner — foot and ankle surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and partner at Silverstone Podiatry on Manhattan's Upper East Side — for one of the more clinically surprising conversations we've had yet.

What starts as a discussion about heel cups turns into a deep exploration of how the foot influences everything above it — hamstring activation, pelvic alignment, proprioception, anxiety, and even teeth grinding at night.

Topics covered:
— Why a heel cup can create a full-body neurological response
— The tripod of the foot and what happens when the heel loses its position
— Flat feet as a proprioceptive problem, not just a structural one
— Gait analysis: what to look for, how long to watch, and why shoes can lie to you
— Orthotics — custom vs. over-the-counter, and when each is right
— Bunions and hammer toes: what they actually are, and why early intervention matters
— The connection between foot instability, anxiety, and sensory upregulation

Dr. Walkner graduated salutatorian from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, completed a concurrent Master of Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and served as chief resident at Lenox Hill Hospital — where she continues to teach the next generation of foot and ankle surgeons.

This is episode three of Medicine — a conversation series dedicated to the truth of pain, performance, and what it means to move well.

Find Dr. Maddy Walkner:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmaddy_walkner
Silverstone Podiatry: https://silverstonepodiatry.com/about-dr-madeline-walkner/

Saint Bartholomew
The Patron Saint of Chronic Pain.
New York City
www.SaintBartholomew.com

What is Medicine?

Medicine is not pills.
It is not injections.
It is not surgery.

Medicine restores the body.

Hosted by Sean Light, founder of Saint Bartholomew Medicine, this podcast explores what actually heals chronic pain and builds durable human performance.

Through clinical insight, lived experience, and systems-based thinking, Medicine challenges the conventional model of symptom management and replaces it with a deeper framework: rebuild the systems, and the body restores itself.

Each episode examines the foundations of real healing:

– Sleep
– Nutrition
– Strength
– Nervous system regulation

Along the way, Sean shares the stories that shaped this philosophy — from childhood headaches to performance training, from the Sistine Chapel to the symbolic meaning of Saint Bartholomew — and explains the Four Systems of Healing that guide his clinical work.

If you are done chasing quick fixes and ready to build a body that works, this is where we begin.

This is Medicine.