I think you are both spot-on. THe criticism is valid. My hope was to find high-level evidence that shoe cushioning does (or does not) reduce the risk of injury for the overall population. Hard to do randomized trials with foot gear, given knowledge of in which group you land. An analogy is breast cancer. Randomized trials show chemotherapy benefits the overall group of breast cancer patients with higher risk disease. More recently, we have learned that the chemo didn't work for upwards of 40 percent who got it; today we can use genomic testing to separate out who really needs it (and gets great benefits in absolute survival increases) and who gets no benefit. I am in the "prefer not too much cushioning" group.

In conclusion, while there is randomized trial evidence that soft cushioning reduces risk for the overall population, there is individual variation.

Your point is well-taken, and I could I framed it that way in the conclusion section. Thank you for the reminder, both of you.

With appreciation,

Michael