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

David Dunlop worked in elite college athletics coaching strength and conditioning at the University of Minnesota football program after playing the game himself at Louisiana Tech and Portland State. 

Today, as Director of Performance at Saint Bartholomew, he works with a very different kind of athlete: people in chronic pain.

In this episode, David shares the journey that brought him here, the patterns he keeps seeing in chronic pain patients, and the moment that changed how he thinks about the body entirely. 

He breaks down the brain's role in pain, pulls back the curtain on the treatment paths his clients have tried before finding Saint Bartholomew, and draws a sharp line between how elite athletes recover and how the rest of the world suffers — and why that gap might be the root cause of chronic pain itself.

He closes with his top advice on neck pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain and one piece of advice he'd give to anyone currently living in pain.

This is Medicine. Not drugs. Not surgery. Real medicine.

What we cover:
— David's path from college football player to elite S&C coach to chronic pain specialist
— The trends he keeps observing across his clients
— His "big ah-ha moment" working with people in pain
— The brain's role in chronic pain
— How elite athletic recovery differs from civilian healthcare — and why it matters
— Top tips for neck pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain
— His single best piece of advice for anyone in pain right now

Learn more:
Website: https://www.saintbartholomew.com/ 
Newsletter: https://medicine.saintbartholomew.com/
Podcast: https://medicine.saintbartholomew.com/

What is medicine?

Not pills.
Not injections.
Not surgery.

Real medicine restores the body.

In this first episode of Medicine, I explain what we believe medicine actually is — and why chronic pain persists when we treat symptoms instead of systems.

I share:

- The headache story that shaped my career
- What I learned from studying the human body through performance training
- Why traditional rehabilitation often fails
- The moment in the Sistine Chapel that changed everything
- Why Saint Bartholomew became the symbol of this work
- The Four Systems of Healing we use to restore the body

At Saint Bartholomew Medicine, we believe the body heals when you rebuild the systems that support it.

Real medicine is built on:

- Sleep
- Diet
- Strength
- Nervous system regulation

When those are aligned, pain cannot survive.

If you’ve tried physical therapy, chiropractic, injections, or rest — and you’re still stuck — this episode will help you understand why.

This is the foundation.

Chapters:

0:00 – Introduction: What Is Medicine?
3:50 – My Story
7:15 – The Headache Years
14:27 – Why Traditional Exercise Doesn’t Work
18:15 – The Four Systems of Healing
24:25 – What Happens When an Athlete Gets Injured
30:41 – Why Saint Bartholomew

Learn more:
Website: https://www.saintbartholomew.com/
Newsletter: https://medicine.saintbartholomew.com/
Podcast: https://medicine.saintbartholomew.com/