Walk This Way – Steven Tyler’s Bum Feet

Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith frontman turned American Idol judge, has been in the news recently for his foot pain.  The 64-year-old rocker was photographed recently walking in sandals on the beach, which highlighted to the world why his feet hurt so much.

According to Tyler, he suffers from a Morton’s Neuroma.  Morton’s neuroma is a growth of the tissue that surrounds the nerve, typically between the third and fourth metatarsals.  The nerve sustains damage from repetitive trauma, and develops a thick, fibrous tissue around itself.  Neuromas can be very painful, sending electric-like shocks of pain through the toes. 

He also reports that he has had surgery on his feet.  While it is unclear what exactly the surgery was for, it is clear from looking at his feet that he still has some residual deformity. 

The right foot, from looking at this photograph, appears to have rotational deformities of the lesser digits.  The second toe coming over the great toe is known as a crossover digit, and can often be seen with long-standing bunions.  These are caused by muscle imbalances.  As a bunion deformity develops, and the great toe drifts towards the second digit, the second digit will often be forced to rest either above or below the plane of the first. 

As for the left foot, it looks as though from this picture that a bunion deformity, while not as severe as the right, is developing.

Steven Tyler even mentioned that part of the reason he took the job with American Idol was to give his feet a break.

Tyler blames his aching feet on years of dancing in poorly fitting shoes.  While this can certainly aggravate the problem, it is not necessarily the cause.  Most structural deformities such as hallux valgus and hammer toes are caused by biomechanical forces acting upon the foot, which are determined by the structure of the foot.  Things like bunions and flatfeet tend to run in families, which leads many to believe that there is a genetic predisposition for foot problems. 

Steven Tyler is not alone, though.  Bunions and hammertoes affect millions of people, and are one of the most common complaints seen in the podiatrist’s office.  Surgical correction for these painful conditions is performed often, and is generally well-tolerated. 

For the man who told us to “Walk this Way”, it looks like Steven Tyler might be teaching us how to walk in post-op shoes soon.  As for the toenail polish, that’s a whole different story. 

Central Florida Foot & Ankle Center, LLC 
101 6th Street N.W. 
Winter Haven, FL 33881 
Phone: 863-299-4551 
www.FLFootandAnkle.com