There is a soft suede patch on the underside which protects my feet from the horrible ball of feet pain. I don't worry about taking long walks or wearing the wrong shoes which can aggravate the pain. I can't do with out the Profoot. It's a god send. The price here is very reasonable and if bought at CVS I had to spend twice the amount. Try a pair if you have terrible ball of foot pain after walking. Just try it!
I do ballroom dancing & these were recommended to me by a fellow dancer & the hope was that there would be less pressure on the ball of the foot. I wear them all them time when wearing dance shoes.
They were a bit tight and they really did not help me. However, I do have foot problems with pain in the ball of my foot. They may work better for others and seemed well made.