Emily Splichal, DPM

“A big belief around Naboso is that the more that we can connect to our foundation, which is our feet, the more overall improvement that we can have in our balance, in our sense of movement, and our coordination.”

Based on a decade or so of textured insole research that has been conducted, Emily Splichal, DPM, podiatrist, and CEO, 

, and her colleagues have developed a textured insole of their own which seeks to help patients improve their gait, posture, and balance challenges. Thus far, they’ve seen success in a number of conditions, including Parkinson disease and multiple sclerosis (MS).

As the insole is considered a category 1 device under the FDA’s regulation, Splichal and Naboso are able to readily provide the insoles to patients. Additionally, when speaking with her at the 

2019 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)

, May 28-June 1, in Seattle, Washington, she told 

 that the company can add this thin sensory insole layer even for patients with MS who already use custom orthotics.

To find out more about how these insoles work and what their target is for stimulation, 

 sat with Splichal to further discuss them. She described them using Braille as an analogy for the insole’s 2-point discrimination textured approach.

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Many patients with neurologic conditions such as multiple sclerosis are faced with gait and stability issues due to their disease, but Splichal and Naboso Technology seek to address these issues via mechanoreceptor stimulation.

Emily Splichal, DPM: Using Texture for Nerve Stimulation in the Feet

“The earlier you bring stimulation to the feet and to the nerves of the feet—thinking neuroplasticity&mdash;they’re going to continually adapt to that stimulus and stay connected to their feet. It may help them on the earlier side of things  versus waiting until they’re too far progressed to see any of those changes.”

Many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) end up experiencing ambulatory symptoms such as challenges in balance, posture, and gait, which can lead to a fear of falls, among other issues. While some interventions exist to address these symptoms, plenty of patients continue to experience ambulation problems.

To attempt to address this, Emily Splichal, DPM, a podiatrist and CEO of 

, has helped developed Naboso’s textured insoles and mats, the first and only of their kind. These insoles are thin and feature 2-point discrimination as a way to access the mechanoreceptors of the foot, specifically, the SA1 Merkel disc. According to Splichal, they are simple in design but profound in effect, and applicable to a number of chronic neurologic conditions.

To find out more about these insoles and what they can offer physicians who are treating patients with MS, 

Innovating neurorehabilitation. Naboso website. nabosotechnology.com/neuro-rehabilitation. Accessed May 29, 2019.

The podiatrist and CEO of Naboso Technology spoke about the potential of simple textured insoles to improve gait, posture, and balance in patients with MS experiencing ambulation issues.

Emily Splichal, DPM

Articles

Emily Splichal, DPM: Using Texture for Nerve Stimulation in the Feet

Emily Splichal, DPM: Insoles for Improving Balance, Posture, and Gait in MS