Posted on March 31, 2026

CMT is an insidious health condition that gradually affects the peripheral limbs: hands and feet. As a result: balance and mobility are diminished.

  

A Public Example

Famous, Alan Jackson, the country western singer recently revealed his premature retirement due to an inability to perform on stage. Ankles are unable to support body weight. Holding items is a challenge as gravities' added pressure on the ankles exacerbates this.

  

Nature of the Disease

CMT is inherited. It is progressive and the symptoms slowly develop. It is one of the most commonly inherited nerve disorders.

  

Lack of Awareness

Most primary care givers never heard of the disease. There are different types of CMT and I have CMT1A. This affects the nerve's myelin: the protective sheath covering of the peripheral nerves.

  

Living with CMT

There is no cure so we must learn to cope. It is not life threatening. I wear AFOs (orthotics): ankle-foot braces when leaving home to avoid drop foot. I wobble with each step taken, and often trip and fall as toes touch the ground before the heel. The scars on my knees confirm this.

  

Early Signs and Misdiagnosis

The earliest sign that my ankles were problematic occurred when I ran the indoor track while attending high school. Sprinting would cause the achilles tendon to pop. I attributed the slow pace to being overweight. "Why can't I run like everyone else?" Self esteem hit rock bottom. I was different, not like the other boys who were physical and competitive at sports. The doctors of that time period diagnosed flat feet the cause and I was forced to wear leather/metal arches in my shoes.

  

Discovery of CMT

I was in my late twenties when I heard the term CMT for the first time. Cousin Jacobo, my Cuban born and trained brilliant Internal Medicine/ Cardiologist stated that Mom and his mother-in-law physically showed signs of this disease.

  

A Personal Connection

The next time I heard this term, my six year old son who always lagged behind on the class line, DNA tested positive for CMT1A. His pediatrician never heard of the disease. This is an inherited neurological disorder. Muscles atrophy when not receiving electrical current and so exercise cannot improve affected muscles.