PROGRAM
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Sydney Spinal Symposium 2026
4 September 2026 | ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour
ⓘ Please note that this program is subject to change. All times shown are local time (AEST).
7:30 AM
Registration Opens
Registration desk opens. Collect your delegate pack and refreshments available.
8:15 AM
Acknowledgement to Country and Opening Remarks
Formal opening ceremony with acknowledgement and welcome address.
8:30 AM
Session 1 - Low Back Pain (8:30 AM - 9:20 AM)
Chairs: Chris Little & Giovanni Ferreira
8:30 AM
Lana Tikhomirov
Clinical Decision-Making in the Age of AI: Insights from Cognitive Science and Human Factors
8:55 AM
Nitin Kumar Arora
Is More Exercise Better? A Dose-Response Network Meta-Analysis of 239 Randomised Trials in Chronic Low Back Pain
9:07 AM
Christopher Neason
Barriers and enablers to running in adults with chronic low back pain: a mixed methods study from the ASTEROID randomised controlled trial
9:20 AM
Session 2 - Biomechanics (9:20 AM - 10:10 AM)
Chairs: Chris Maher & Ji Tu
9:20 AM
Ryan D Quarrington
Seeing the spine: Translating AI-assisted biomechanical insights into tools for spinal injury prevention and care
9:45 AM
Nicholas Cunha
A tissue engineering framework for biomimetic artificial spinal cords
9:57 AM
Karthik Banurekha Devaraj
Effect of sagittal alignment on spinal cord biomechanics in the stenotic cervical spine during neck flexion and extension
10:10 AM
Morning Tea & Poster Viewing (10:10 AM - 10:40 AM)
Refreshments and opportunity to view poster presentations.
Featured Posters:
One-stage revision of TLIF non-union using 3D printed titanium custom made implants; a case series
How do interbody cages with a lattice core influence strain distribution in the adjacent bone? A Finite Element Analysis
Radiographic outcomes of 3d printed titanium patient specific cervical corpectomy devices; a case series
Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Clinical Translation Opportunities for Cause of Pain Detection and Potentially Early Diagnoses
The Natural History of Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: A Scoping Review
What do the general public believe about back pain? A scoping review of population-based studies
Pharmacological treatments for neck pain and whiplash disorders: a systematic review
When Back Pain Meets Bacteria: Evaluating the use of antibiotic therapy for chronic low back pain with Modic changes
Stakeholder perceptions of the VIrtual Physiotherapist-led Evaluation of low back pain Referrals to spine surgeons (VIPER) model of care: a qualitative study
SAGE (safer analgesia): a protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial to reduce the use of high-risk medicines in people with chronic back and/or neck pain
SONIC: Sling Or No sling In Conservative management of patients presenting to the emergency department with first-time anterior shoulder dislocation: a randomised controlled trial protocol
Safe and effective medical management of pain for people with rheumatoid arthritis: current evidence, patient perspectives, and person-centred deprescribing
A pragmatic, two-arm, parallel randomised controlled trial comparing a virtual care referral pathway with usual paramedic care for back pain in ambulance service: the RAMBO trial protocol
Adapting the I-WOTCH opioid reduction trial to Australia: a qualitative study
Effectiveness of the Virtual or In-person Physiotherapist-led Evaluation of Referrals to spine surgeons (VIPER) model of care: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Co-Design of the Virtual or In-person Physiotherapist-led Evaluation of Referrals to spine surgeons (VIPER) model of care
Endoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Conventional Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Effectiveness of strategies for implementing guideline-concordant care in low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Barriers and enablers to implementing opioid deprescribing guideline recommendations: a qualitative analysis of primary care physicians' perspectives using the Theoretical Domains Framework
Efficacy and harms of opioid analgesics in older adults with osteoarthritis: Meta-analysis
Physiotherapist-led care in the emergency department for musculoskeletal conditions: a randomised controlled trial with economic evaluation (RESHAP-ED)
10:40 AM
Session 3 - Surgical Outcomes (10:40 AM - 11:30 AM)
Chairs: Takeru Akabane
10:40 AM
Pramod Nair
AI for drug discovery to disrupt spinal disorders
11:05 AM
Xiaolong Chen
Multimodal Prehabilitation for Older Adults Undergoing Spinal Fusion
11:17 AM
Gayani Petersingham
Investigation of the Effect of Foramen Dimension on Dorsal Root Ganglion Irritation Following Transforaminal Endoscopic Procedures
11:30 AM
Session 4 - Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Research (11:30 AM - 12:10 PM)
Chair: Pramod Nair
11:30 AM
Lucie Marsh-Smith
A digital mindset approach to a clinical spinal registry
11:55 AM
Adam de Gruchy
Implementation of A Regional Satellite Spinal Service: Improving Patient Care and Green Health Practices
12:10 PM
Lunch & Poster Viewing (12:10 PM - 1:00 PM)
Lunch break with continued opportunity to view poster presentations.
1:00 PM
Session 5 - Myelopathy Special Interest Group (1:00 PM - 2:12 PM)
Chairs: Ryan Quarrington & Ryan Dorrian
1:00 PM
Nashwa Najib
MYNAH Registry Five Years On
Myelopathy Special Interest Group Launch (1:12 PM - 2:12 PM)
Chairs: Nashwa Najib & Rohil Chauhan
2:12 PM
Session 6 - Pre-clinical and Pain (2:12 PM - 3:22 PM)
2:12 PM
Arnold Wong
Beyond Physical Discomfort: The Multidimensional Impact of Low Back Pain in Older Adults
2:37 PM
Ponsuge Chathurani Sigera
Effectiveness of a virtual hospital model of care for low back pain (Back@Home)
2:40 PM
Crystian Bitencourt Oliveira
What are the current recommendations of primary care guidelines for low back pain and how have they changed over the last 30 years?
2:43 PM
Ryan D Quarrington
Validation of subject specific cervical spine finite element models using experimental bone strain data
2:46 PM
Ryan M Dorrian
Cardiovascular Imbalances and Risk Characterisation Using Integrated Technologies following Spinal Cord Injury (CIRCUIT Study)
2:49 PM
Xiaoxin Xie
Intraoperative delivery of warm humidified air to the surgical site improves physiological conditions and healing of open spine surgery wounds
2:52 PM
Andrew R Gamble
Development and acceptability of a patient decision aid for people with degenerative cervical myelopathy: an international mixed-methods study
2:55 PM
Sweekriti Sharma
Behavioural nudges to reduce low-value care for low back pain in the emergency department (NUDG-ED): a 2 × 2 factorial, pragmatic cluster randomized trial
2:58 PM
Wentian Li
Short-Term Outcomes of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Lumbar Pain: A Prospective Study of 55 Patients Using Multidimensional Patient-Reported Measures
2:58 PM
Giovanni E Ferreira
Interventions for chronic pain after lumbar spine surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
3:01 PM
Hamidullah Salimi
Evaluation of Sagittal spinopelvic parameters and clinical outcomes Following Psoas-Traversing and Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion Techniques
3:22 PM
Afternoon Tea (3:22 PM - 3:52 PM)
Afternoon refreshments and networking opportunity.
3:52 PM
Session 7 - Pre-clinical and Pain (3:52 PM - 4:53 PM)
Chairs: Christina Abdel Shaheed & Ponsuge Chathurani Sigera
3:52 PM
Miranda J Shaw
Using a virtual hospital model to manage more patients in the community and support system capacity
4:17 PM
Hanan McLachlan
Investigation of heterogeneous treatment effects of oxycodone in acute back and neck pain: an individualised treatment effect approach
4:29 PM
Ji Tu
Smoking and Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: From Vascular Injury to Immune-Mediated Nucleus Pulposus Reprogramming
4:53 PM
Conference Close
Closing remarks and key takeaways from SSS 2026.
5:00 PM
Poster Awards, Drinks & Substantial Canapés
Celebrate outstanding poster presentations, network with colleagues, and enjoy refreshments.