Move It or Lose It | Episode 142

Guest: Dr. Emily Splichal
Host: Kathy Chester
Date: December 17, 2025
Title: The Hidden Strength Within Your Feet

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the often-overlooked power and function of our feet, especially within the context of chronic illness, autoimmune conditions like Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and movement disorders. Host Kathy Chester, a long-time MS warrior and fitness trainer, nerds out with renowned podiatrist and human movement specialist Dr. Emily Splichal on the vital connections between the feet and whole-body health. They explore sensory stimulation, product innovations like the Neuro Ball and textured socks, and how emotional responses intertwine with physical symptoms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Splichal’s Unconventional Path to Modern Podiatry

Timestamp: 02:36 – 04:57

• Dr. Splichal shares that traditional podiatry training felt incomplete by treating feet in isolation.
• She pursued a Master’s in Human Movement, blending podiatry with fitness, pelvic floor therapy, fascial work, and emotional/autonomic nervous system research.
• Quote:
  • “[Podiatry] was taught very, very isolated. No mention that our feet are connected to the rest of the body. So it was starting to not sit right with me.” (Dr. Splichal, 02:11)

2. Introducing the Neuro Ball and Sensory-Based Foot Care

Timestamp: 04:57 – 06:56

• Neuro Ball (by Naboso) features patent-pending texture – tiny pyramids designed to stimulate nerves in the feet, much like Braille for the skin.
• Can be split into two domes and used for daily stimulation—especially beneficial for those with MS, Parkinson’s, and other movement disorders.
• New models include a cryo core for usable cold therapy targeting issues like plantar fasciitis.
• Quote:
  • “Those little tiny pyramids are stimulating the nerves in the bottom of the feet. Very similar to how your finger reads braille, actually, your feet are able to read this texture.” (Dr. Splichal, 05:23)

3. Microcirculation, Raynaud’s, and Non-Cold Stimulation

Timestamp: 08:56 – 10:20

• Circulation issues—such as Raynaud’s—affect many with autoimmune challenges.
• Microcirculation (smallest blood vessels) is especially at-risk in the feet due to their distance from the heart.
• Beyond heat, movement itself (even 50 steps), vibration, and textured stimuli (including Naboso socks) all enhance microcirculation. Don't need to jump straight to cold therapy.
• Cold therapy is best as post-movement recovery, not before activity.
• Quote:
  • “After just 50 steps, you have increased the microcirculation to your feet, which is evident through temperature.” (Dr. Splichal, 09:54)

4. Textured Recovery Socks and Neuropathy

Timestamp: 11:17 – 14:03

• Textured socks with pyramid patterns inside help “speak the language” of the foot nerves, aiding both under-sensitivity (numbness) and over-sensitivity (allodynia) due to neuropathies in MS and other disorders.
• Socks foster both desensitization in hypersensitive patients and increased awareness for those with numbness.
• Quote:
  • “What that’s doing is that’s allowing you to feel your feet. It’s focusing on the circulation. It’s waking up the muscles.” (Dr. Splichal, 11:51)
  • “Sometimes [patients] are like, it just feels like I’m walking on cotton balls.” (Dr. Splichal, 13:14)

5. Barefoot Stimulation: Why & How?

Timestamp: 14:03 – 18:24

• 30 minutes per day of barefoot time is recommended to stimulate foot nerves and retain movement confidence, especially important for balance and preventing deterioration in chronic conditions.
• Discomfort from barefoot living is often due to a lack of exposure; adaptation happens surprisingly fast.
• Quote:
  • “There is an evolutionarily important role of the nerves in the bottom of our feet... If you start to disconnect from those nerve endings, it will then create a decrease in your balance... you lose movement confidence.” (Dr. Splichal, 15:41)
  • “As you start to implement barefoot stimulation, you adapt to it very quickly... you actually crave the stimulation.” (Dr. Splichal, 18:13)

6. Innovative Foot Wedges for Stability and Training

Timestamp: 20:14 – 22:00

• Foot wedges (10 and 25 degrees) with Naboso texture provide stability for barefoot training, helping those who cannot independently hold a neutral foot position.
• “They look like a piece of pie,” Dr. Splichal laughs. Covered with textured grip, they enhance both sensory feedback and safety for training—especially valuable for those with compromised balance or joint motion.
• Quote:
  • “The goal is...if we’re going to advocate barefoot training...the base, your feet, [must be] in a stable position.” (Dr. Splichal, 20:51)

7. Re-emergence of Barefoot Shoes and Resources

Timestamp: 22:36 – 25:03

• Early 2000s barefoot shoe “boom” returns, now with a wider array of brands and styles, not just for runners.
• Resource: Anya’s Reviews – a comprehensive review site for barefoot and minimalist shoes of all types.
• Quote:
  • “Not every minimal shoe is a sneaker...You can have sandals, boots, hiking shoes, dress shoes.” (Dr. Splichal, 24:59)
  • “If anyone bought the five fingers, the Vibram five fingers, they thought they then were like, well, I guess now I have to start running. I’m like, where did you get it?” (Dr. Splichal, 23:44)

8. Powerful Patient Story: Sensory Stimulation Transforming Recovery

Timestamp: 26:30 – 31:03

• Dr. Splichal recounts a patient paralyzed after a surgical accident whose feet were “forgotten” during her rehab—always in socks/shoes, never directly stimulated.
• Upon using Naboso products, the patient felt electrical sensations for the first time post-injury—“like electricity rode up my leg”—and became an advocate as she progressed from a wheelchair to walking.
• Their work together stacked sensory stimulation, visualization, breathwork, and pelvic floor connection into her recovery.
• Quotes:
  • “For the first time...she actually stimulated her feet...She was like, ‘It was like electricity rode up my leg...I can actually feel my feet.’” (Dr. Splichal, 28:21)
  • “Unless they’re trying to actually learn to walk again, [many] don’t realize how important single leg stability is to take each step.” (Dr. Splichal, 30:17)
  • “60% of walking involves you being on one leg.” (Dr. Splichal, 30:49)

9. The Future of Naboso: Education & Integrative Stimulation

Timestamp: 31:16 – 34:44

• Naboso is focusing on developing educational programming and stacking various forms of sensory input (texture, emotion) for deeper rehabilitation and everyday use.
• Exploring the autonomic nervous system’s emotional responses—how stress, fear, or pain exacerbates symptoms like spasticity—and using “sensory anchors” (like touch, texture) for self-calming.
• Quote:
  • “Your emotional state or this autonomic state can enhance or throw off the nervous system peripheral. So it’s just so deeply intricate.” (Dr. Splichal, 33:36)
  • “It’s about training the mind and the anchored emotion...How can you then just feel the body through it?” (Dr. Splichal, 34:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Our feet are actually speaking a language to our brain all the time.” (Dr. Splichal, implied throughout)
• “30 minutes of barefoot every day... If you don’t use it, you lose it.” (Dr. Splichal, 15:41)
• “You actually crave the stimulation.” (Dr. Splichal, 18:31)
• On the resurgence of barefoot shoes: “It wasn’t just a barefoot shoe boom, it’s a barefoot boom.” (Dr. Splichal, 23:42)
• About the patient who felt again after 2 years: “Like electricity rode up my leg...I can actually feel my feet.” (Patient via Dr. Splichal, 28:21)
• On mind-body interventions: “Your emotional state...can enhance or throw off the nervous system peripheral.” (Dr. Splichal, 33:36)

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Segment & Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Dr. Splichal’s background and philosophy | 02:36–04:57 | | The Neuro Ball and sensory foot care | 04:57–06:56 | | Increasing microcirculation | 08:56–10:20 | | Textured socks & neuropathy management | 11:17–14:03 | | Barefoot living for movement confidence | 14:03–18:24 | | Wedges for sensory stability | 20:14–22:00 | | Barefoot shoes and resources | 22:36–25:03 | | Transformative patient recovery story | 26:30–31:03 | | Naboso’s future and sensory/emotional integration | 31:16–34:44 |

Conclusion

This rich, insightful conversation between Kathy Chester and Dr. Emily Splichal spotlights just how integral our feet—and the sensory signals they send—are to movement, healing, balance, and well-being, especially for those with chronic illness. They remind listeners to look beyond shoes, take their sensory health into daily practice, and never underestimate the power of feeling the ground beneath their feet.

Resources Mentioned:

• Naboso Technology
• Anya’s Reviews – Barefoot & Minimalist Shoe Resource