Precision That Restores Movement

In orthopaedics, experience changes how you see problems. After years of working across different clinics, Gilbert & Lisson’s orthotics specialist Kirk has learned that the most effective solutions rarely come from devices alone. They come from understanding people, movement and the small details often lost when care becomes fragmented.

Kirk first joined Gilbert & Lisson in 2006, working at the firm for more than a decade before spending several years in other clinical environments. When he returned in 2025, it was not nostalgia that brought him back, but perspective.

“Most clinics don’t work like this,” he explains. “You see a patient, you do the assessment, then everything is sent out to an external lab. You’re relying on paperwork and hoping nothing gets misinterpreted along the way.”

At Gilbert & Lisson, the model is different. Consultations, orthotics production and bespoke shoemaking all take place under one roof. For Kirk, that difference is practical rather than philosophical.

“When everything is done in-house, you can follow a job from the first conversation through to the fitting,” he says. “If something isn’t quite right, you don’t lose weeks sending it back and forth. You can adjust and improve it straight away, and nothing is lost in translation.”

That immediacy matters most in complex cases, where small errors can amplify unintentionally and mean the difference between progress and prolonged pain.

When Walking Changes Everything

While gait analysis, biomechanics and electronic assessment are essential tools, Kirk believes many solutions begin earlier in conversation.

“A lot of what you need to know comes from listening,” he says. “What someone has tried before, what worked and what didn’t. Even failed treatments give you valuable information.”

Those conversations combined with clinical assessment, allow Kirk to understand not just how a foot moves, but why and how it has adapted in certain ways. By the end of a first consultation, he often knows which direction the solution needs to take.

One case in particular has stayed with him. A former police detective in his early fifties came to Gilbert & Lisson in severe pain. He had collapsed metatarsals, an unstable gait and had already tried orthotics elsewhere. Surgery was not an option.

“He was walking on the front of his foot constantly,” Kirk recalls. “Every step was painful.”

The assessment revealed not just where pressure was building, but why previous orthotics had failed. Materials and load distribution needed to change. The solution was not radical, but precise.

When the man returned after being fitted with bespoke orthotics, the improvement was clear. But it was his wife’s reaction that Kirk remembers most.

“Thank you for giving me my husband back.”

They could walk together again. They could travel. Ordinary things, once taken for granted, were possible.

Independence at Every Age

For Kirk, that story captures what orthotics really do. They are not about perfection, but restoring function.

“Not everyone becomes pain-free,” he says. “But compared to how they were before, the improvement can be life-changing.”

That applies across generations, from children struggling to participate in sport to older customers who rely on orthotics to remain independent.

“For some people, an orthotic is the difference between walking and not walking,” Kirk explains. “It allows them to live without constantly thinking about their feet.”

He often compares orthotics to prescription lenses (glasses). They do not permanently fix the problem, but while you wear them, they allow you to function properly. For many regarding bespoke orthotics, that means long-term use and regular adjustment as the body changes, just like reading lenses requiring adjustment over time.

Why Experience Matters

Years of clinical work have taught Kirk that success lies in recognising nuance. Small changes in materials, angles or support placement can dramatically alter outcomes.

“It’s not always difficult,” he says. “But it does require experience.”

That is why he values the environment at Gilbert & Lisson, where expertise is shared rather than siloed. Shoemakers, orthotics specialists and biomechanical understanding come together to serve one purpose.

“Here, we’re not just making devices,” Kirk says. “We’re helping people to optimise their daily ability for movement.”

And for him, that is the true measure of success: not the orthotic itself, but the life it quietly gives back.

Gilbert & Lisson extends this collaborative approach internationally, offering consultations that deliver the same standard of care beyond London.

Medical Orthotic Consultations Now in the Algarve

Following our successful initial visit in October 2025, we are returning to Portugal to provide our full orthotic and footwear consultation service to residents of the Algarve.

Date: 9th-12th March 2026

Venue: Top suite, Hotel Quinta Jacintina, 8135-025 Almancil, Portugal

Book the consultation here.

Your complimentary consultation will include:

● Full biomechanical and electronic gait analysis (recorded and discussed with you)

● A personalised footwear and orthotic consultation

● Review of medical or foot concerns such as bunions, dropped arches, hammer toes, fused bones, diabetic ulcers or imbalance

● Options for bespoke shoes, orthotic insoles and long-term support

With consultations taking place in just a few weeks, remaining appointments are limited. Early booking is strongly recommended - Click to book today!

For more information, please contact Gilbert & Lisson at +44 20 7486 4664 or info@gilbertandlisson.com.

Our address: 12 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 8UN, United Kingdom