Ask the Neuroscientist
questions, answered
Heel science
Before Dr. Steffie designed a single shoe, she trained as a cognitive neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine. She founded Steffie’s for a personal reason: her own heels were pulling her focus away from the research she was there to do. Fixing the shoe problem meant getting deep into the science of how a woman’s body carries weight, and into long conversations with the orthopedists and podiatrists who see, up close, what heels can do to the body over a day.
These are the questions she gets asked most, gathered from emails, comments, and the women who wear Steffie’s every day. She adds new ones regularly, so if yours isn’t here, send it her way at help@steffies.us.
Why do my feet hurt after two hours in regular heels?
Most heels were styled to be pretty. They weren’t engineered to be comfortable. The rigid plastic core inside a conventional heel doesn’t absorb impact. It passes the force along, sending it from the ground straight into the bones of your foot, the joints in your knee, and the muscles of your lower back. Around the two-hour mark, your body runs out of small ways to compensate, and it starts to let you know: the ache under the ball of your foot, the tightness climbing your calves, the pinch at your toes. The fix isn’t a thicker insole. It’s replacing that core, which is exactly what Steffie’s RoamFoam™ does for you.
Why are wedges easier on your feet than stilettos?
It comes down to surface area. A stiletto balances your whole body weight on a point about the size of a pen cap, while a wedge spreads that same weight across a larger surface closer to the size of your foot. Less pressure in any one place means less strain on your feet, knees, and lower back. This is why a two-inch wedge can feel easier to wear than a one-inch stiletto.
How much heel height is actually safe?
There’s no single number that’s right for everyone, but the pattern is consistent: joint compression in the knee and ankle climbs noticeably in a heel higher than two inches. This rule of thumb holds up both in the research and in what orthopedists and podiatrists see in their practices. Two inches is where we landed for Steffie’s. It’s tall enough to lengthen the line of your leg and low enough to keep your joints out of the conversation.
What is “cognitive load,” and what do my shoes have to do with it?
Cognitive load is the mental effort you’re spending at any given moment. Low-grade pain quietly draws on it. So does the constant background math of a bad shoe: where to put your weight, when to shift, whether that tile floor at your next meeting will be slick. You’re not aware of making those calculations, but they pull from the same mental budget you’d rather spend on the task at hand. Cognitive load is what drew Dr. Steffie into the shoe industry. Her own was constantly taxed by her heels, so she built shoes to lighten the load. When your wardrobe stops making you negotiate with your body, your attention is free to go where you actually want it.
I have wide feet. What should I order?
Two of our styles, the Landmark Space and the Landmark Safari, are available in wide-width sizing. Use our Fit Finder to tell us about width, volume, and the shape of your foot, and we’ll point you to the style that fits you best. Our heels also run about a half-size small, so many people size up regardless. If you’d like to speak with us directly, email us at help@steffies.us.
I have bunions. Will Steffie’s work for me?
Customers with mild-to-moderate bunions often do beautifully in them. If your bunion is more severe, we recommend the Journey style as a gentler place to start. Either way, begin with the Fit Finder. If you’d still like a second opinion, we answer every email personally at help@steffies.us.
Have a question that isn’t here?
Email Dr. Steffie. She reads and replies to every one, chooses the questions that will help the most readers, and posts those answers right here.