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Injuries aside , which type of shoes are the most comfortable ? What features do they have ?

 

So the task is to build the most comfortable and best looking walking shoe possible, and you are starting from scratch .
What feature to you build in ?

Cushioning ,medial arc support , toe spring , good fit but not to tight ,good grip ,ventilated ? A few extra cm on the heel for a bit more height ,buckles and bows to make them look nice ( a lot of person preference here ) .

Once you have your ideal, most comfortable shoe, how far removed is it from a minimal shoe and what is the "comfort
difference"?
In order to get more people wearing more minimal shoes the "comfort difference" needs to be taken into account but I have never seen this addressed as a topic before .

 

More maximal shoes then, offer advantages of comfort and ease of movement that minimal shoes don't .

The downside of maximal shoes is that they undoubtedly cause weaker feet, particularly with regard to the toe flexors.
So what is best for the adult foot ?

Well ,with regard to running, people get injured pretty frequently when wearing supportive shoes . People also seem to get injured a lot wearing minimal shoes ,with or without a program of foot strengthening . However, people who run in supportive shoes who also do foot strengthening get injured half as much as supportive shoes with no strengthening .

What does this mean ? Well, IMO, the evidence seems to be saying, running in supportive shoes with regular foot strengthening is the best option, as far as injury prevention goes .