Ask the Neuroscientist
questions, answered
Heel science, in plain English
Dr. Steffie Tomson trained as a cognitive neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine before she started designing shoes. She founded Steffie’s because her own heels were interfering with her research — quite literally distracting her from the cognitive work she was paid to do.
These are the questions she gets asked most. Pulled from emails, comments, and conversations with the women who wear Steffie’s every day. New ones added regularly — submit yours.
Why do my feet hurt after two hours in heels?
Because most heels weren’t designed; they were styled. The rigid plastic core inside a conventional heel doesn’t absorb impact — it transmits it. Every step sends force straight from the ground into the bones of your foot, the joints in your knee, and the muscles of your lower back. Two hours in is roughly when your body runs out of compensating moves and starts telling you.
The fix isn’t a thicker insole. It’s replacing the core. That’s what RoamFoam™ does.
— Steffie
Why are wedges easier on your feet than stilettos?
Surface area. A stiletto concentrates your entire body weight on a heel point the size of a coin. A wedge spreads the same weight across a surface roughly the size of your foot. Same person, same shoe height, less pressure per square inch by an order of magnitude. Your feet, knees, and lower back all feel that math.
It’s why a 2-inch wedge can be more comfortable than a 1-inch stiletto.
— Steffie
How much heel height is actually safe?
There’s no universal answer, but the research is clear that joint compression in the knee and ankle starts to climb noticeably past 2 inches and accelerates past 3. Two inches is the height we landed on for Steffie’s — tall enough to lengthen the line of the leg, low enough to keep your joints out of the conversation. If you want to wear higher, alternate days and stretch your calves.
— Steffie
What is “cognitive load” and what do my shoes have to do with it?
Cognitive load is the term for the mental resources you’re using at any given moment. Pain — even low-grade pain — uses some. So does the constant background calculation of where to put your weight, when to shift, whether the marble floor at the next meeting will be too slick. None of those decisions are conscious, but they all run on the same brain budget you’d rather be spending on the work in front of you.
That’s the founding insight of the brand. Shoes that don’t make you negotiate with your body let you spend your attention where you actually want to.
— Steffie
I have wide feet. What should I order?
Two of our styles — the Landmark Space and the Landmark Safari — offer a Wide width. For the rest of the line, run the Fit Finder — it’ll ask a few questions about width, volume, and the shape of your foot and tell you which style will fit best. Steffie’s do run a half-size small by design, so most people end up sizing up either way.
— Steffie
I have bunions. Are Steffie’s a bad idea?
Not necessarily. Steffie’s have a slightly rounder toe box than a pointed stiletto, the upper is soft suede that molds to your foot, and the integrated metatarsal pad shifts pressure away from the ball of the foot where bunions hurt most. Many of our customers with mild-to-moderate bunions do well in them. If your bunion is severe, a wider, lower style (like the Journey flat) is the gentler entry point. Always start with the Fit Finder.
— Steffie
Why do my heels keep slipping off?
Two causes, usually. Either the shoe is a hair too big — in which case half a size down (or a width down) solves it. Or the back of the shoe doesn’t grip your specific heel shape — common for narrow heels. A heel grip or a thin tongue pad usually fixes that without affecting fit anywhere else. If a Steffie’s style keeps slipping despite the right size, write us; we’ll figure out which style is built for your heel.
— Steffie
Have a question that isn’t here?
Email Steffie. She reads them, picks the ones that will help the most readers, and answers them here.