Footwear Heel Design

A shape/form in the sagittal plane of the posterior ground contacting portion of the heel of footwear in which the shape of said footwear heel will not cause unnatural strains of the foot and appending structures brought about by footwear heel induced increases in leverage applied to the heel of the wearers foot in the sagittal plane comprising:

• (a) said heel of predetermined raised structure of which the rear ground contacting portion of said shape is formed in profile beginning at a point which is vertically aligned with the point of contact (FIG. 1, point 14) of the radius of the calcaneus of the wearer's foot with a horizontal plane parallel to the plantar surface of said prone, weight-bearing foot, and
• (b) said shape of heel of footwear is capable of bearing the weight and forces of the heel of the wearer and can be the primary contact point in heel strike type bipedal locomotion, and
• (c) said shape of heel of footwear being such that no portion of said heel or shoe structure extends posteriorly to the contact point (14) in a manner that will significantly add to the natural leverage of the wearer's heel by contact with the ground at any point of the stride cycle.