IVO congress and ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK trade fair 2022: Worldwide meeting of pedorthists
On October 14 and 15, 2022, the city of Cologne in Germany will become the worldwide center of orthopedic shoe technology: for the first time, the congress of the International Association of Orthopedic Shoe Technicians (IVO) will be held together with the ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK trade fair. The congress program will offer two main focal points from an international and interdisciplinary perspective: "Diabetic foot" and "Biomechanics of the foot and foot orthotics".
Actually, the double event was already scheduled to take place in 2021. The IVO Congress, which is held every three years, had been awarded for this year to the Zentralverband Orthopädieschuhtechnik (ZVOS), the conceptual sponsor of the ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK trade fair. ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK is organized by C. Maurer Fachmedien, the publisher of the journals "Orthopädieschuhtechnik" and "foot&shoe", which will also be responsible for organizing the IVO Congress in 2022.
Due to the restrictions and uncertain situation caused by the Corona pandemic, C. Maurer Fachmedien, ZVOS and IVO had decided together with the trade fair advisory board at the beginning of the year to postpone the event by one year to 2022 in order to take into account the health of exhibitors and visitors and to be able to hold the industry event without too many restrictions.
"The IVO Congress is the world's most important meeting place for the international pedorthic community," explains IVO President Serge Mathis. Since it was to be feared that the international guests in particular would not come in the Corona year 2021, the joint event had been postponed to a point in time when, in all probability, visitors from all countries would again be able to travel safely to Cologne for the world's largest trade fair for the orthopedic footwear industry.
Congress topics of international relevance
In coordination with the IVO, two main topics were defined for the joint congress: Diabetic Foot Syndrome and Biomechanics of the Foot.
Diabetic foot
Diabetes mellitus has become a widespread disease not only in industrialized countries. Worldwide, the number of people suffering from diabetes is increasing - and with it the number of cases of diabetic foot syndrome. Nevertheless, diabetic foot is often still not sufficiently in the focus of medicine and health policy - despite the serious consequences for the patients and despite the large number of amputations that could be avoided by good conservative treatment.
On the one hand, the congress will present the latest scientific findings on the diabetic foot, and on the other hand, today's treatment options, ranging from new surgical concepts to medical foot care and stage-specific care with special shoes, diabetes-adapted footbeds, therapeutic shoes, orthotics and orthopedic custom-made shoes. An important aspect will be interdisciplinary cooperation, without which all efforts of the individual professions are in vain. Various models will be presented on how this collaboration can succeed.
Biomechanics of the foot
The second focus of the congress is dedicated to the biomechanics of the foot. Regardless of the continent, the human foot has the same anatomy and biomechanics everywhere. But foot problems, their cause and their therapy are considered very differently.
The congress aims on the one hand to explain the biomechanics of the foot on a scientific basis, and on the other hand to present and discuss different therapeutic approaches. This will not only take place in the lecture hall, but also in interactive workshops, where colleagues from different countries will be able to exchange their concepts and experiences, not least on the basis of practical examples of care.
Translation into three languages
All lectures in the congress hall will be translated into the English, German and French. This means that the lectures can also be given in these languages. In addition, there will be a large number of seminars on various topics, ranging from the practical therapy of foot problems to questions of business management or marketing. In addition to seminars in German, seminars are also offered in English. For the interactive, international workshops there will be a translation for German and English.
Registration
Documents for exhibitors are expected to be available in October 2021. For information, reservations and questions from exhibitors, please contact Sibylle Lutz (
Call for Abstracts
Maurer Fachmedien, ZVOS and IVO invite pedorthists, physicians, scientists and related professionals to present their experiences and findings on the treatment of the foot and orthopedic appliances for the foot. Experiences and case reports from practice are welcome, as are new findings from medicine and science or reports on new therapeutic approaches. The lectures may, but need not, concern the main topics of the congress. As in previous years, there will be presentation blocks reserved for submitted papers.
Presentations can be submitted until February 28, 2022. Announcement of accepted presentations will be made on May 3, 2022. Presenters whose paper or poster is accepted will receive a complimentary conference ticket. Guidelines and a contact form for abstract submission are available on the website www.OST-Messe.de - or contact Dafina Cuni directly (e-mail:
