About Us

PPL Biomechanics is Ireland’s leading manufacturer and supplier of custom made/stock orthotic devices, orthopaedic footwear and offloading products. We exclusively deal with medical practitioners and are the leading provider of post-graduate biomechanics courses in Ireland. We have more than twenty years of experience supplying devices to practitioners working in a wide range of fields including sports medicine, orthopaedics, offloading & wound care, paediatrics, MSK, rheumatology, special needs and neurological deficits.

PPL was founded by podiatrists, James & Joanne McKenna. James and Joanne met in university and after working in the NHS they moved back to James’s native Cork in 1993, where they set up a clinical practice. The clinic focused on orthotic device and footwear prescription. Soon after, the pair gained a contract with the HSE, which extended the scope of practice to complex orthopaedic challenges. Joanne being from a family of engineers, was also keen to maintain her roots, and soon began manufacturing orthotic devices for the clinic's patients. PPL was born from very humble beginnings in a shed with limited tools and materials. In 1996, PPL (Podiatry Products Limited) was founded in a small factory unit, with the aim of supplying orthotic devices to other practitioners. Julie Hegarty, who now manages operations and heads up the Technical Team, joined them in 1997. Together they built the company from the ground up and now employ more than thirty local staff in the factory, offices and warehouse on Tramore Road, Cork City.