Piano Shoes for pedaling

A while back, I was practicing the piano a lot without shoes on and gradually developed a foot injury. It felt like the pedal was pressing up on my foot and over time that area started to hurt, especially around the ball of my foot. After this injury, I started thinking about what type of pedaling shoes would be best. Many people recommend leather shoes for pedalling, so you can have some sensation of the pedal through the shoe while still protecting the foot from injury or nerve damage. That seems like a good idea to me, it is always helpful to be able to feel the pedal movement through your foot. However, I have now adjusted that thinking to want both a leather sole and some sort of solid heel while practicing with the pedal.

I know that having my heel off the floor a bit feels better, but I'm not sure exactly why it this is true. I know that when I use the accelerator pedal in a car, it has a slanted foot board so that your foot is in a more relaxed position when resting and then the foot presses down from the rest position. So, I assume it is because I like having my foot in a better rest position from which I can exert downward force (plantar flexion). The mazda.com website explains the foot position this way:

"... the basic need to keep one’s heel on the floor in order to maintain leg position comfortably over a long period. In operating the accelerator, the ankle becomes a fulcrum around which the foot pivots downwards."

In the wonderful book, "What Every Pianist Needs To Know About The Body" by Thomas Mark, he explains that the ankle moves a lot like a "lopsided upside down letter T" because the movement of the foot does not occur at the back of the heel, but at the ankle joint which is in front of the heel bone. So, I guess I like having my foot at less of an upward angle when at rest because pianists keep their heels on the floor for balance. With a bit of a heel, my foot is more parallel to the floor (especially if the piano has wheels under the legs) and it feels better to me.
I have also chosen a rather solid heel for my pedalling shoes. I don't want to have too narrow a heel where I am wobbling on the heel and lack good balance. I have read on the pianoworld forum that some people are recommend a book or block under the heel, but it seems to me that finding the right shoe is a better long term solution to this problem.