OTWorld 2026: Record anniversary edition – Leipzig is the place for rethinking orthopaedic treatment and care

For four days, Leipzig was more than just an exhibition venue and congress centre. OTWorld in Leipzig (19–22 May) served as a meeting place, workshop, think tank and stage for one of the important questions of our time: How do we enable people to enjoy mobility, independence and participation – in a world that is becoming older, more digital, more uncertain and more vulnerable?

The sector’s leading global event brought together 21,400 trade visitors from 92 countries, 623 exhibitors from 41 countries and more than 300 international speakers. The focus was on rehabilitation, training, integrated care, robotics, artificial intelligence and care provision in crisis and war zones.

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, it became clear: OTWorld is more than just an international trade event. It is the place where the course is set – for care provision in Germany, Europe and worldwide.

For the challenges are growing simultaneously: demographic change, rising care needs, a shortage of skilled workers, financial pressure on healthcare systems, digitalisation, crises, disasters and wars. This makes resilient networks and shared frameworks all the more important. We need places where knowledge can be shared quickly, experience brought together and the future envisioned with courage.

This is exactly what OTWorld stands for.

People set the pace. Technology follows.

Healthcare does not begin with technology. It begins with people.

Sometimes the future is revealed in numbers. Sometimes in a single person. And sometimes in 50 voices.

To mark its anniversary, OTWorld has used the campaign “50 Years – 50 Voices” to highlight precisely these people: people from all over the world whose daily lives have been transformed by good care. People who share what it means to regain mobility, live more independently, rebuild trust or experience a moment of true freedom.

The campaign provides a platform for these experiences – at OTWorld, on social media and on the website. And it remains open to many more voices. Because 50 years of OTWorld tell not only a story of technology, development and international expertise. Above all, they tell stories of people.

The opening of OTWorld 2026 also placed this perspective at the centre. Tan Çağlar and Lara Wilkin were on stage at the opening as ambassadors – together with Hari Budha Magar. Their stories brought into focus what Leipzig was all about: not technology for technology’s sake, but people for whom care makes all the difference.

Hari Budha Magar embodies goals that transcend all boundaries. Following the double amputation of his thighs, he became the first person to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents – including Mount Everest. Lara Wilkin brings her own experience of care into research, international networking and advocacy. Actor Tan Çağlar spoke about participation, mobility and new perspectives.

More on the campaign: “50 Years – 50 Voices” on the OTWorld website .

The sector looks to the future

With 623 exhibitors from 41 countries, OTWorld 2026 achieved the highest attendance in its history. Rehabilitation technology saw particularly strong growth, with more than 120 exhibitors. In the exhibition halls, digital manufacturing processes met with precision in the skilled trades, intelligent prosthetics with modern orthopaedic footwear technology, robotics with clinical practice, and artificial intelligence with everyday experience.

The anniversary edition highlighted just how closely technical progress and human needs are intertwined. New methods, digital processes and intelligent systems open up possibilities – they find their direction where they support people in their everyday lives: in mobility, independence and participation.

Peter Franzel, Head of Events & Exhibitions, Ottobock, commented: “The fact that the trade show and congress are so closely interlinked is what makes OTWorld particularly strong: Here, innovation is not merely presented, but professionally contextualised, discussed and taken further. The trade show thus not only showcases the sector’s current state but also provides important impetus for the future.”

Orthopaedic footwear technology also demonstrated how strongly the skilled trades are establishing themselves worldwide.

“Orthopaedic footwear technology from Germany has long struggled to gain international attention. OTWorld 2026 made it clear how knowledge from Germany has now reached other countries beyond the field of orthotic insoles. We welcomed visitors from New York, Taiwan and Australia,” explained Annette Kerkhoff, speaker and project manager at the Competence Centre for Orthopaedic Footwear Technology (KomZet O.S.T.).

“For us, OTWorld is the most important trade show in the sector. This is where the various disciplines come together – from industry and the skilled trades to politics – and this is precisely where we meet the audience we want to reach. […] “OTWorld as a whole provides inspiration on how we can significantly improve the lives of people with disabilities – and that is precisely what makes this sector and this important networking event so special,” said Jeanette Arend, Head of Marketing & Medical Affairs, Springer Aktiv.

This dynamic was particularly evident in rehabilitation technology. Mobility, participation and independence were more central than ever.

“With the spotlight ‘Living with neurological conditions’, the trade show has created an area that […] highlights new possibilities within healthcare systems,” emphasised Stefan Schäfer, Managing Director of Meyra.

International partner organisations particularly emphasised the importance of OTWorld for networking and knowledge transfer.

“The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) has stood proudly alongside OTWorld in Leipzig for decades – united by a shared commitment to advancing our field, where innovation, collaboration and a focus on goals come together,” emphasised Sandra Ramdial, President of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO). “We value the opportunities OTWorld offers to make contacts, exchange knowledge and engage in dialogue with both established figures and new voices from the fields of prosthetics, orthotics, mobility and assistive technologies. [...] Together, we are not only strengthening our profession, but also shaping a more inclusive and accessible future for the people we serve.”

Digitalisation is not an end in itself

There was great interest in the new OTWorld.eSummit format. Discussions there focused on how artificial intelligence, digital processes and networked systems can transform care – not as an abstract vision of the future, but as a concrete issue for workshops, therapy centres, clinics, businesses and care practices.

After all, digitalisation makes a difference where information flows faster, distances are shorter and collaboration is more effective.

“The healthcare system is one of the largest administrative systems of our time,” explained Frank Rudolf, advisor on medical aids and assistive devices at the AOK Federal Association and partner of the eSummit. “If we want to make healthcare fit for the future, we need a new digital infrastructure. The OTWorld.eSummit therefore focused on patient management, care documentation, service verification, digital workshop management, platform logic, software and artificial intelligence. The aim is not more technology in the system. The aim is less friction, better collaboration and more time for what really matters: caring for people.”

Especially in times of scarce resources, digital collaboration is becoming a matter of the future. Anyone wishing to secure care must make knowledge available more quickly. Between medicine, therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, orthopaedic footwear technology, rehabilitation technology, science, payers and those affected.

OTWorld has opened up the space for this.

Care in times of crisis

Another key focus was on care in crisis, disaster and war zones. International aid organisations reported on the reality on the ground: destroyed infrastructure, injured people, a lack of support structures, and the difficult path back to mobility and independence.

This made it clear: care is a matter of global resilience.

It does not stop at borders. It does not only begin when systems function perfectly. And it should not stop precisely when people need it most.

“OTWorld is hugely important for the Diospi Suyana project because here professional exchange can translate into concrete care. In the Peruvian Andes, we provide children with arm and leg prostheses, amongst other things – in a region where qualified prosthetics and orthotics care is not accessible. At OTWorld, we bring together prosthetics and orthotics, industry, medical supply stores, physiotherapy and international partners in one place. This fosters connections through which knowledge, materials, custom-fit components and support reach the places where they are urgently needed. Without this network, our work would not be possible in this form,” said Carlotta Laue, orthopaedic technician with the Diospi Suyana project.

Georgia Näder, board member of the Ottobock Global Foundation, emphasised: “OTWorld impressively demonstrates the potential of prosthetics and orthotics, particularly for people in crisis zones such as Ukraine, the Gaza Strip or following natural disasters. With the Ottobock Global Foundation, we focus precisely where help is most urgently needed: we provide access to prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs, deliver immediate on-the-ground assistance together with our partners, and simultaneously strengthen sustainable care structures through knowledge transfer and the training of skilled professionals. In this way, we create opportunities for a better quality of life and greater social inclusion.”

Where knowledge is put into practice faster

Running parallel to the world’s leading trade show, the World Congress brought together experts from the fields of medicine, technology, therapy, science and clinical practice. More than 300 speakers from over 30 countries shaped an international programme featuring symposia, workshops, lectures and poster presentations.

The focus was on rehabilitation, integrated care and training – but also on the question of how new knowledge can reach those who need it more quickly: the people themselves.

Prosthetists and orthotists, orthopaedic footwear professionals, doctors, therapists, rehabilitation specialists and scientists discussed new care concepts, international developments and the future of interdisciplinary collaboration.

“The World Congress has shown that the future does not emerge from individual disciplines. It emerges where medicine, therapy, technology and science come together to focus on people. The time for soloists is over,” emphasised Dr Doris Maier, Congress President and Medical Director at the BG Unfallklinik Murnau.

“OTWorld combines international perspectives with the practical issues of everyday clinical care. That is precisely where its strength lies: it sets knowledge in motion,” said Dipl. OTM Thomas Münch, Congress President and Board Member of the German Association of Orthopaedic Technology (BIV-OT).

“OTWorld brings together medical disciplines that are closely linked in everyday clinical practice: orthopaedic technology, neurology, phlebology, amputation medicine, and paediatrics. It is precisely this interdisciplinary exchange that opens up new perspectives for holistic patient care,” emphasised Dr Harmen van der Linde, Radboudumc, Nijmegen.

“International knowledge transfer is particularly important in conservative scoliosis care,” explained Andreas Würsching, speaker, master prosthetist and orthotist and member of The International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT).

“OTWorld brings together people from all over the world who want to take care of patients to the next level. It is precisely this international exchange that makes the World Congress so special – because new ideas and concepts for the successful care of our patients can emerge from shared experiences and interdisciplinary exchange,” summarised Michael Schäfer, speaker at the World Congress and board member of the BIV-OT.

The next generation of professionals also played a central role. As the world’s largest gathering of young professionals in the sector, the Youth.Academy TO brought hundreds of trainees and students from all over the world to Leipzig, combining the promotion of young talent with international knowledge transfer. For the first time, a dedicated Physiotherapists’ Day was also held, further strengthening the exchange between therapy and technical care.

Leipzig as host to the world

OTWorld 2026 demonstrated: the future of care is international. Ageing societies, rising demand, skills shortages, digitalisation and the consequences of crises and wars affect countries in different ways – but they affect them all.

That is precisely why we need places where the world comes together. Not at some point in the future. Now.

“OTWorld demonstrates the full relevance of technical orthopaedics. It is key to the shift towards outpatient care because it combines medical therapy, rehabilitation and local care. It creates transitions from the clinic into everyday life. And it can intervene early with evidence-based care concepts before limitations lead to suffering, the need for care and associated costs. Technical orthopaedics is still underestimated in healthcare systems. OTWorld is the place where we demonstrate what this specialist field can achieve,” emphasised Alf Reuter, President of the German Association of Orthopaedic Technology.

“OTWorld has once again demonstrated the international strength of this sector. Over the past few days, Leipzig has become a place where innovation is translated into care, where the whole world shares knowledge, discusses the future and puts collaboration into practice. 57 medical societiesand international professional and patient associations came together here as OTWorld.friends and celebrated the anniversary as the largest international community. This is what has made OTWorld strong for 50 years,” explained Martin Buhl-Wagner, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe.

Prominent figures from the worlds of sport and society also lent the event additional visibility – including Franziska van Almsick, Pascal Hens, Markus Rehm, Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi. Their presence highlighted just how closely modern healthcare is linked to movement, performance, everyday life and social participation.

The future remains human

OTWorld 2026 sent a clear message: the future of healthcare will not be determined by technology alone. It will be determined by people who use technology in a way that is tailored to individual needs. By professionals who listen. By science that becomes applicable. By companies that take responsibility. By international cooperation that remains capable of action even under pressure.

In Leipzig, it was not just demonstrated what is possible today. In Leipzig, it became clear what will improve healthcare tomorrow.

OTWorld thus remains the place where the professional community comes together to rethink healthcare – humanly, internationally, concretely.

“If it were up to us, we’d also love to celebrate 100 years of medi Germany and 75 years of OTWorld here in Leipzig,” said Robert Unfried, outgoing management of medi Germany, and Klaus Herold, future management of medi Germany.

You make the difference.

The next OTWorld will take place from 16 to 19 May 2028 in Leipzig.