New foot&shoe published
The latest issue of foot & shoe has been published. It features articles on the evolution of the profession in Australia, the future of pedorthics, and recommendations for selecting and fabricating foot orthotics. There is also a preview of the 2027 IVO Congress, which will be held alongside ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK in Cologne once again. Click on the "more" button for more information about the content, or download the issue directly for free.
Content
IVO Congress 2027:Cologne Becomes the International Hub for Pedorthics Again
In October 2027, the IVO Congress returns to Cologne. From October 22 to 23, the event will take place for the second time – following 2022 – in conjunction with the ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK trade fair.
“Tell me what you really want” – Understanding the Patient’s Needs
What is the most important thing when manufacturing an assistive device? According to Dr. Jessica Hohenschon and Prof. Fred Holtkamp, it is understanding what the patient really needs. In their seminar “Understanding the Patient’s Needs,” presented at the ORTHOPEDIC SHOE TECHNOLOGY Congress on October 24, 2025, they explained how the Triple I Model can be used to identify exactly what these individual needs are.
The future of pedorthics: “We can—and must—do something!”
The future of pedorthics looks worrying – this was the consensus among participants in the panel discussion at the ORTHOPÄDIE SCHUH TECHNIK congress in Cologne on October 25, 2025. There is much to be done to counteract the shortage of skilled workers and the lack of consensus within the profession, but also to ensure the economic viability of their own work. Even though there are already many initiatives in the profession, too few companies are committed to working together to secure and shape the future of pedorthics.
A Long Road to Recognition: How Pedorthics Became an Allied Health Profession in Australia
Over the past five decades, pedorthics in Australia has evolved from a largely unregulated trade into a nationally recognised allied health profession. Today, certified pedorthists work alongside orthopaedic surgeons, podiatrists, diabetes specialists, and rehabilitation teams, and are formally acknowledged by insurers, government agencies, and national health bodies. This transformation did not occur through statutory regulation alone. Rather, it was achieved through structured education, independent certification, strategic advocacy, and sustained professional unity. The Australian experience offers valuable insights for countries seeking to strengthen the recognition and integration of pedorthics within their healthcare systems. By Wolfgang Best
Australia:Pedorthic Footwear Standards published
The Pedorthic Association of Australia (PAA) has published the country‘s fi rst comprehensive national framework for therapeutic footwear — a landmark step for clinicians, manufacturers, and patients alike.
Extending Diabetes CDSS to Offloading Footwear Prescription:
A Conceptual Adaptive Semantic Framework
Offloading footwear is critical for reducing pressure from ulcerated areas, supporting the healing of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). However, prescribing such footwear is complex and requires healthcare providers to consider various patient-specific factors. Despite this complexity, clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are rarely used in this area. While CDSSs are common in diabetes care for managing glycemic control, medications, and ulcer risk, no established CDSS exists for guiding evidence-based footwear prescriptions. This paper presents a novel Adaptive Semantic Framework (ASF) that extends existing diabetes CDSS models by incorporating biomechanical and clinical factors relevant to offloading footwear. The framework integrates domainontologies, hybrid rule-based reasoning, and causal inference to provide personalized, context-aware recommendations. By Ekunal Kumar, Muhammad Ashad Kabir, Luke Donnan, Sayed Ahmed
