Why this is the spinal event of the year

The Oryon Academy Spinal Symposium 2026 brings together leading spinal surgeons, radiologists and MSK specialists for a full day of evidence-based talks, real-world case discussions and practical learning you can apply in clinic the next morning.

Across the day, you’ll:

• Hear from expert spinal clinicians on the latest thinking in diagnosis, imaging and management
• Work through real case studies that reflect the patients you see every week
• Contributes towards your CPD 
• Network with peers, referrers and the wider Oryon clinical community
• Enjoy refreshments throughout the day in a central London setting

As Oryon’s flagship in-person event, the Symposium will also be the first place to hear about new developments, exclusive offers and what’s coming next for Oryon – with a few surprises reserved just for delegates.

Tickets

• Full access to the Oryon Spinal Symposium
• Hours of CPD with certificate of attendance
• Refreshments throughout the day
• Access to post-event resources (slides and selected recordings, where available)
• Eligibility for on-the-day offers and delegate-only updates

Places are limited to ensure a high-quality educational environment. Early booking is strongly recommended.

Provisional Programme

We’re finalising the full timetable, but we’re pleased to confirm the following sessions for the Oryon Academy Spinal Symposium 2026.

Mr Bob Chatterjee

Symposium Chair

Mr Chatterjee will chair the day, guiding discussion, facilitating panel sessions and ensuring a practical, clinically focused programme throughout.

A highly respected Consultant Spinal Surgeon, Mr Chatterjee brings extensive experience in complex spinal conditions, multidisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based decision-making.

Mr Michael Hess

Lumbar radicular pain and when escalation is appropriate

Lumbar radicular pain is a common source of disability and referral. This session will focus on clinical assessment, conservative pathways, red flags and appropriate escalation, including the role of surgical options and timing.

About Mr Hess
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & Director of InsightSpine. Internationally recognised specialist in minimally invasive spine surgery and interventional pain therapy, with over 20 years’ experience in endoscopic spinal techniques.

Dr Nikos G. Malliaropoulos

Centralisation Phenomenon as a Clinical and Prognostic Tool in Mechanical Low Back Pain

This session explores centralisation as a reliable clinical response in mechanical low back pain, its role in identifying therapeutic direction, and its strong association with improved patient outcomes.

About Dr Malliaropoulos
Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine and Reader at Queen Mary University of London. An internationally experienced clinician and academic, he specialises in musculoskeletal injury, rehabilitation and image-guided intervention. His research and clinical work bridge sports medicine, spinal pathology and outcome-driven rehabilitation.

Dr Keith Bush

Prolotherapy

An overview of regenerative injection approaches and where they sit within contemporary spinal care.

About Dr Bush
Consultant Orthopaedic & Sports Physician with over 40 years’ experience in spinal medicine. Awarded a Doctorate by the University of London for research into spinal disorders, with publications in peer-reviewed journals including Spine and The European Spine Journal. Former honorary clinical lecturer at Imperial College London and past President of the Society of Orthopaedic Medicine. A longstanding advocate of injectional and non-surgical approaches to spinal pain management.

Mr Caspar Aylott

Spinal problems, biomechanics, and a few surprises!

An Interactive session considering diagnosis and management of familiar spinal problems with examples. We will consider some variations on this theme and the importance of spinal mechanics in causation, treatment  and prognosis. I’ll throw in a few surprises to keep us on our toes!

About Mr Aylott
Consultant Spinal Surgeon with expertise in complex spinal disorders and degenerative conditions. He has extensive experience managing patients across conservative and surgical pathways, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based referral and multidisciplinary care.

Mr Mo Akmal

Advances in day surgery and patient benefits

Exploring modern day-case spinal procedures, enhanced recovery pathways and the evolving benefits for patients and referrers.

About Mr Akmal
Consultant Spinal Surgeon with extensive experience in minimally invasive techniques and modern spinal service delivery. He has a strong interest in optimising patient pathways, reducing hospital stay and improving functional outcomes.

Mr George Bownes

Lumbar spine stress injuries (pars stress & pars fractures)

Diagnosis, imaging interpretation and management considerations in lumbar stress injuries, particularly in active and athletic populations.

About Mr Bownes
Specialist in Sport and Musculoskeletal Medicine with experience across NHS, military and elite high-performance sport. Founder of Citius Health, pioneering innovative musculoskeletal treatments. Former Tournament Physician at Wimbledon and clinician to elite rugby and Olympic athletes, bringing a performance-focused perspective to spinal injury management.

Mr Dominic Cheetham & Mr Dan Hughes

The importance of upright imaging (X-rays)

Understanding when upright imaging adds diagnostic value in spinal assessment and referral pathways.

Both bring extensive experience in spinal imaging interpretation and clinical application within multidisciplinary care settings.

Further sessions from Dr Naeem Ahmed and additional contributors will be confirmed shortly.

Bring your questions on imaging, referral thresholds and shared decision-making.

Full timings and panel formats will be released as the programme is finalised.

Who is this for?

The Spinal Symposium is designed for practitioners who regularly assess, refer or manage patients with spinal conditions, including:

• Spinal and orthopaedic surgeons
• Neurosurgeons
• MSK and spinal radiologists
• Physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors
• Pain medicine specialists
• GPs with an extended role in MSK / FCPs / ESPs

If spinal cases are a core part of your practice, this day is for you.

What to Expect from Oryon

Oryon Imaging partners with leading spinal consultants, radiologists and MSK clinicians to deliver high-quality diagnostics and rapid MRI reporting.

Our CPD and education events are designed to reflect the real pressures of modern practice – combining specialist insight with simple, practical take-aways that improve patient pathways.

From the team behind the Oryon Academy CPD webinars and education series.

FAQs