OTWorld 2026 will place renewed attention on orthopaedic footwear technology when the international congress and trade fair returns to Leipzig, Germany, from 19 to 22 May 2026. The event will mark OTWorld’s 50th anniversary and will bring together clinicians, technicians, manufacturers, researchers and service providers working across prosthetics, orthotics, rehabilitation and assistive technology.
According to World Footwear, the 2026 congress will include symposia, workshops and free papers focused on patient mobility, modern assistive technology and interdisciplinary care. Congress Presidents Dr Doris Maier and Thomas Münch said the anniversary motto, “50 years – you make the difference,” reflects the responsibility of professionals to help ensure patients receive the best possible orthopaedic treatment and care.
For IMEA CPO, the story is important because orthopaedic footwear is often under-discussed compared with prosthetic components, advanced orthoses or digital fabrication. Yet for many patients, especially those with diabetes, neurological conditions, deformity, pain, paediatric needs or mobility impairment, footwear is central to daily function, pressure management and long-term protection.
OTWorld has described OTWorld.shoe-technology as a central meeting point for orthopaedic footwear professionals from Germany and around the world. The dedicated exhibition area in Hall 1 will focus on technologies, materials, manufacturing methods, digital processes and product innovations for the orthopaedic footwear trade.
This matters because footwear is no longer only a craft-based category. Modern orthopaedic footwear increasingly connects:
For CPOs, podiatrists, orthopaedic shoe technicians and rehabilitation teams, the footwear conversation is becoming more technical, more evidence-driven and more integrated with wider patient care.
One of the key areas expected to feature at OTWorld 2026 is diabetic foot care. Foot & Shoe reports that the World Congress will address stage-appropriate care for diabetic foot syndrome, bringing together experts including diabetologists, surgeons and orthopaedic shoe technicians.
This interdisciplinary approach is highly relevant across India, the Middle East and Africa, where diabetes-related foot complications remain a major cause of disability and amputation. In many IMEA settings, early footwear intervention, custom insoles, shoe modifications, offloading strategies and patient education can help reduce pressure-related complications before they become limb-threatening.
For CPOs, the message is clear: orthopaedic footwear should be treated as a core clinical intervention, not a secondary product category.
The IMEA region includes advanced private O&P clinics, public hospitals, diabetic foot units, university programmes, NGO services and small independent workshops. Across these environments, orthopaedic footwear is relevant to a wide range of patients.
It can support:
The OTWorld 2026 focus on footwear technology should encourage IMEA providers to look more closely at how footwear services are structured, prescribed, fabricated and followed up.
A major theme for orthopaedic footwear is the shift from manual measurement and fabrication toward digital workflows. 3D scanning, pressure assessment, CAD design, CNC milling, additive manufacturing and digital patient records are increasingly shaping how insoles and footwear modifications are delivered.
For IMEA clinics, this presents both opportunity and challenge. Digital systems can improve repeatability, documentation and efficiency, but they must be integrated with sound clinical reasoning. A scan or pressure map does not replace the practitioner’s judgement; it supports it.
The most successful footwear services will be those that combine digital tools with practical knowledge of gait, skin risk, material behaviour, shoe fit and patient compliance.
OTWorld.shoe-technology will also include the Meeting Point Foot & Shoe, organised with professional associations and designed as a space for exchange and networking. In 2026, the German Federal Association for Orthopaedic Footwear Technology will join as a new partner, strengthening the dedicated footwear area.
For international visitors, this type of focused professional hub can be valuable because it brings together product suppliers, educators, clinicians and technicians around shared practical challenges. For IMEA CPOs attending the event, the footwear area may offer useful insight into materials, fabrication systems, workflow design and diabetic foot service models that could be adapted regionally.
OTWorld 2026’s focus on orthopaedic footwear should be seen as a reminder that foot care, pressure management and mobility often begin before a prosthesis or major orthosis is required. In diabetic foot care especially, the right footwear pathway can be preventative, protective and life-changing.
For the IMEA region, where diabetes, trauma, neurological conditions and access gaps create major rehabilitation needs, orthopaedic footwear deserves a stronger place in clinical strategy. It connects prevention with rehabilitation, technology with craft, and patient comfort with long-term outcomes.
As OTWorld celebrates 50 years in Leipzig, its footwear programme points toward an important future direction: better care will not come only from advanced devices, but from integrated systems that include assessment, materials, digital production, education and follow-up.
For CPOs across IMEA, that is a conversation worth following.