Effects of shoe sole hardness on plantar pressure and comfort in older people with forefoot pain
Tamara J. Lane, Karl B. Landorf, Daniel R. Bonanno, Anita Raspovic, Hylton B. Menz Gait & Posture; Article in Press
"These findings demonstrate that as shoe sole hardness increases, plantar pressure increases, however this does not appear to have a significant effect on shoe comfort."
It will be interesting to evaluate shoe comfort after a time of wearing !
“The spatial summation theory (SST) states that simultaneous stimulation of many sensory receptors is required to arouse stimulation (Hardy and Oppel, 1937). In simple terms, it means that the larger the area stimulated, the greater the sensory response experienced. For example, the sensation induced by a hand would generally be greater than that induced by a finger alone. The spatial summation theory has important implications for force distribution. Consider the case of a pleasant sensation gradually moving towards discomfort when the applied pressure is increased. At the limit, when sensations tend toward the so-called discomfort experience, a force distributed over a large area may induce greater discomfort than the same force over a small area. “ -
The comfort-discomfort phase change, Ravindra S. Goonetilleke,
http://www-ieem.ust.hk/dfaculty/ravi/papers/encyclo.pdf
Question for the authors; Was the toe spring and heel height the same for the three different sole density assessments and was the insole material the same density for each?
So much can be changed within the parameters of heel pitch and toe spring when it comes to comfort.