IVO-Congress: Biomechanics of the foot in international comparison
No matter on which continent: the human foot has the same anatomy and biomechanics everywhere. But the cause of foot problems are interpreted quite differently and the therapeutic approaches are often different as well. The IVO Congress is an opportunity to learn about some of these approaches and discuss them with colleagues from other countries. Saturday, October 14, 2022 will be all about the biomechanics of the foot. There will be a translation service for the lectures in the congress for English, German and French.
Kelly Robb Michael Ryan
Keynote speakers Kelly Robb and Michael Ryan learned the profession of pedorthist in Canada and then decided to pursue scientific careers to scientifically investigate and validate what they learned in training. Today, Michael Ryan is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He is one of the leading experts in the field of research on the role of footwear on injury risk in runners. He continues to relate to the practice as the head of the product and innovation department at "Kintec Footwear + Orthotics", a large pedorthic company in Canada.
Kelly Robb is currently completing her doctoral studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. Her current research focuses on the link between neuromechanics, mechanoreceptor activation, lower limb muscular activity and orthotics. Currently, she is also president of the Pedorthic Association of Canada.
Kelly Robb and Michael Ryan will present a comprehensive overview of past and current approaches to understanding foot biomechanics and fitting approaches in North America in their joint presentation at the Congress. Throughout its evolution, each theoretical perspective had provided unique value to the clinician. However, each theory was limited to the scientific research available at the time. Kelly Robb and Micheal Ryan will evaluate the theories, such as the Merton L. Root subtalar neutral theory or the subtalar joint axis equilibrium theory, from today's scientific perspective and present two newer concepts: sensorimotor fitting concepts and the so-called comfort filter, which has been discussed in running shoe circles for years. In Cologne, Michael Ryan will present data from a Canadian research database with more than 10,000 clinical outcome measurements on the comfort filter in foot orthotics.
Thomas Stief
The European perspective and the differences to the North American fitting approaches will be presented by pedorthist and Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Stief in his keynote. Even though there were and are different approaches in North America, the focus there is often on correcting the hindfoot through insole fitting, which is also intended to treat the problems in the forefoot. Pads on the forefoot, for example to correct or support the medial arch, as is common in much of Europe, are unknown in North America. Thomas Stief will look at the classic fitting concepts from Europe and more current concepts from a biomechanical perspective, also focusing on the tension between the forefoot and hindfoot. Thomas Stief is very familiar with the biomechanics of the foot and foot orthotics. He is a master orthopedic shoemaker, studied technical orthopedics in Münster, and has been teaching and researching at the Institute of Sports Science at Justus Liebig University in Giessen since 2017, including new concepts for orthotics. This congress session on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 9:15 a.m. is held in cooperation with the Studiengemeinschaft für Orthopädieschuhtechnik. There will be a translation service for the lectures in the congress for English, German and French.
Forefoot problems are an interdisciplinary task
Many of the foot problems that are treated in orthopedic shoe technology are localized in the forefoot. Only by recognizing the respective causes can the right solution be found for the patient. How to do this will be the topic of the session "Forefoot Problems" at the ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK congress, which will be held in cooperation with the German Association for Foot & Ankle (D.A.F.). 
Dr. Michael Gabel Prof. Patrick Klein Dr. Heino Arnold
Dr. Michael Gabel will first explain the anatomy and the function or dysfunction of the forefoot and present the medical conservative therapy options. Prof. Patrick Klein, a versatile trained physiotherapist and familiar with the concept "Understanding walking" by Kirsten Götz-Neumann, will lecture on the topic "Understanding walking - a gait diagnostic program with transdisciplinary therapy in a patient with chinkungunya virus". Surgical options for disturbed biomechanics of the forefoot will be demonstrated by Heino Arnold.
Franz Fischer Marius Gabel
Pedorthist Franz Fischer will present his systematics of how he examines the foot, palpates it and uses the knowledge of the gait cycle to do justice to the various clinical conditions and their causes with a differentiated foot orthotic concept. When talking about forefoot problems, one must not forget shoe modifications. With Marius Gabel, a young colleague who combines handicraft training with university studies will describe the effect of shoe modifications from a scientific-biomechanical point of view.
All information about the fair and the congress can be found on the congress flyer and on the website of the trade-fair and congress.
You can book congress tickets online directly here.
