Footwear including a sole for supporting a foot and an upper attached to
the sole for covering the foot. The sole and upper define an interior of
the footwear sized and shaped for receiving the foot. The upper has an
inner surface adapted for engaging the foot when it is received in the
interior of the footwear and an outer surface forming an exterior of the
footwear. The upper also includes compressible cushioning permitting the
upper to conform to the foot when it is received in the interior of the
footwear to improve the fit of the footwear. The compressible cushioning
is sized, shaped and positioned in the upper to at least partially
surround a protrusion extending from the foot and is at least partially
omitted from an area of the upper corresponding to the protrusion. Thus, a
recess is formed in the upper for accommodating the protrusion to relieve
pressure applied to the foot by the upper at the protrusion. The
protrusions which are thus accommodated include protrusions at the heads
of the first and fifth metatarsals, a portion of the fifth toe
corresponding to the fifth proximal phalanx, and portions of the ankle
corresponding to the distal heads of the tibia and fibula.