OTWorld 2026: 50 years of joint progress for patients worldwide
From May 19 to 22, 2026, OTWorld in Leipzig will celebrate its 50th anniversary as the global meeting place for technical orthopedics. For half a century, it has combined a world congress and the world's leading trade fair, bringing together international experts and showcasing innovations in bandages, compression stockings, orthoses, prostheses, and wheelchairs.
To mark the anniversary, the two congress presidents, Dr. Doris Maier and Thomas Münch, are shaping the content of the world congress with a clear message: successful patient care can only be achieved by working together. Thomas Münch, master orthopedic technician and entrepreneur from Duisburg, brings the perspective of the craft to the table: “Good training is like building a house. It starts with laying the foundation – the craft,” he explains. OTWorld therefore focuses on the question of how craft and academic training should be designed today and tomorrow. Craftsmanship, digital skills, and new academic paths must be more closely integrated in order to prepare the next generation for rapidly growing demands.
Dr. Doris Maier, Medical Director at the BG Unfallklinik Murnau, focuses on integrative care and rehabilitation. “Optimal care cannot be achieved alone, but only when doctors, therapists, orthopedic technicians, rehabilitation experts, and cost bearers work closely together. In Leipzig, all the players come together – but not all of them are really pulling in the same direction,” she emphasizes.
OTWorld 2026 – from May 19 to 22 in Leipzig – will therefore focus on orthopedic and trauma surgery rehabilitation at its world congress. The world congress will also address the question of how to reliably provide assistive devices and rehabilitation in times of crisis and conflict. The focus is on supply chains that enable people to remain mobile, self-determined, and involved even under extraordinary conditions.
Another focus is orthopedic shoe technology. New this year is the central exhibition area “OTWorld.shoe-technology,” which offers manufacturers of orthopedic, comfort, and therapeutic shoes, as well as specialists in foot orthotics and custom-made shoes, a platform to showcase their products.
One of the main topics is diabetic foot syndrome (DFS), which affects up to 850,000 people in Germany every year. The newly created Foot & Shoe Hub, organized by KomZet O.S.T. and the Studiengemeinschaft Orthopädieschuhtechnik e. V. (Study Group for Orthopedic Shoe Technology), addresses this topic from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on prevention, therapy, and quality of care.
The World Congress also deals comprehensively with DFS, including in the symposium “Stage-appropriate management of diabetic foot syndrome.” Other workshops cover topics such as digital treatment processes, modern wound care, pressure measurement, and patient-centered care with AI and 3D printing.
For more information please visit the OTWorld-website.
