Hi Paul (shoeman)

Like a bluesman, sounds brilliant. Some time ago I did a literature review
on shoes and appropriateness to feet etc. Remarkably few published
researches were available in the public domain. Obviously through SATRA etc
there was information but this was too expensive for me at the time. A lot
of the stuff came from US orthopaedics and was less than independent. In
summary it appeared for women's shoes anyway the small populations polled
fell equally into three categories.

Those with shoes that were considered adequate for feet; those with mildly
tight fitting footwear; and those with distinctly tighter fitting shoes.
Matched with foot problems  there was a higher incidence of sore feet in the
last group. In itself not so remarkable a finding but as we know not itself
confirmation of cause and effect.

In my reading I did run to ground and interesting finding which would in no
short measure relate to the importance of fit to comfort. Appears the
ability to feel the footwear across the ball of the foot (on medial and
lateral sides) was a critical factor. In other words the sensory and
proprioceptive feedback was critical to the feeling of well being.  This may
explain why some people prefer tighter fitting  shoes.  It might also give
some clue to why people prefer higher heels i.e to unlock their midtarsal
complex making their forefoot broader. This would also give the appearance
of a smaller foot.



        Kindest regards

        Cameron

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