It seems that shoe companies are finally beginning to come out with shoes that are trending towards a more minimalistic approach. Actually they have known that the big puffy padded shoes with extra thick heels are terrible for you and promote a crash landing on the heels and promote injury. Studies have shown that this dampening effect actually causes greater forces to be transmitted up the chain as the body does not react as it should because of the false security that the padding provides as well as the heel crash. With too much $$$ invested in this flawed design they have had to continue to promote them. Now that they are beginnning to place more reasonable shoes on the market IE nikes "Free" line of shoes they are slowly trending in the proper direction but only as rapidly as the $$$ can keep up. Thank goodness the trend is changing albiet slowly