As the host of the Podiatry Legends Podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with some incredible thought leaders in our profession. In this episode, I welcomed back the brilliant Dr Emily Splichal to dive deep into a fascinating and often overlooked area of foot health – the neurosensory foot.
If you’re a podiatrist who’s always focused on biomechanics and structural corrections, this episode is going to flip your thinking. Emily explains why podiatry education has historically overlooked a crucial aspect of the puzzle: the thousands of nerves in the sole of the foot and their impact on everything from movement to mood.
From Surgical to Sensory
Emily’s journey isn’t what you’d call traditional. After initially training and practising as a surgical podiatrist, she walked away from the scalpel to explore functional movement and human performance. Her background in fitness and her Master’s in Human Movement gave her a fresh perspective on podiatry, and what she found was a significant gap in how we address sensory feedback and fascia in clinical practice.
What’s inspiring is that she didn’t just shift focus. She redesigned her practice entirely. Emily now runs a niche, direct-care clinic where she spends a full hour with each patient. No insurance constraints. Just focused, sensory-based podiatry that aims to reconnect patients with their body’s own feedback systems.
What Is the Neurosensory Foot?
Put simply, it’s the concept that our feet aren’t just mechanical levers – they’re loaded with nerves that constantly communicate with the brain. These nerves impact:
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Movement control
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Balance
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Emotional regulation
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Memory
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Safety perception
Yet, this neurosensory awareness is often ignored. Many rehabilitation protocols still rely on outdated, proprioceptive-only methods, such as wobble boards or foam pads, which, as Emily explains, can actually dampen sensory input from the sole of the foot.
How Can We Apply This?
Emily shares practical insights for podiatrists:
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Train barefoot whenever possible to stimulate mechanoreceptors.
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Avoid relying too heavily on unstable surfaces during rehabilitation.
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Incorporate vibration and texture into treatment protocols.
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Recognise emotional trauma and chronic pain as intertwined with foot dysfunction.
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Educate, don’t just treat – help patients reconnect with their own body.
It’s not about throwing away orthotics or dismissing structure. Emily still prescribes orthotics when necessary. But her emphasis is on doing what’s right for each patient’s unique foot-brain-body connection.
Emily’s new book Sensory Sapiens dives deeper into these cutting-edge topics.
Emily’s website – https://www.dremilysplichal.com/
If you have any questions about this podcast episode or are looking for a speaker for an upcoming event, please email me at tyson@podiatrylegends.com, and we can discuss the range of topics I cover.
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