From September 17 to 19, 2026, the Canadian Association of Orthopaedic Medicine marked a milestone: its 40th Annual Conference, held at the Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel in Toronto. The conference took place during the second weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival, and the city’s energy was matched inside the meeting rooms. Presenters travelled from across North America and from as far away as France, and the result was one of the most wide-ranging and well-received programs in the Association’s history.
Four decades ago, a small group of Canadian clinicians came together because they believed there was a better way to help patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. This year’s conference was a reminder of how far that idea has travelled and how much it continues to grow.
Preconference workshops: hands-on learning
The conference opened on Thursday, September 17 with three practical preconference workshops. Drs. Zuzana Triska, Jonathan Chow, Adrian Gretton, and Erik Howarth led a full-day workshop on palpation-guided prolotherapy for common peripheral and SI joint injuries, taking participants joint by joint through anatomy, surface anatomy, clinical findings, and injection targets, with ample time for hands-on practice.
In the Barclay Room, Drs. Jannice Bowler, Francois Louw, Rowan Paul, Rodica Janz, Erik Ouellette, and Sid Bhattacharyya facilitated a Level 1 beginner course in ultrasound-guided nerve blocks and hydrodissection, focusing on common entrapment sites and the sono-anatomy of peripheral nerves. In the afternoon, the Level 2 advanced course moved into small-group learning stations covering the cervical region, upper and lower limbs, gluteal region, groin and back, and plane blocks.
Day One: from mechanisms to new frontiers
Dr. Aly Lakhani, Chairman and President of CAOM, welcomed delegates on Friday morning before Dr. Adrian Gretton opened the scientific program with a fresh look at low back pain through the lens of kinetic chains and biotensegrity. Dr. Rowan Paul followed with a session on hydrodissection with orthobiologics, and Dr. Aeneas Janze offered a critical 2026 perspective on how dextrose prolotherapy works, and how it doesn’t.
After the morning break, Dr. Keith Weber explored the use of injections to both diagnose and treat chronic pain, Dr. Steven Karageanes, President of the American Academy of Orthopedic Medicine, discussed muscle testing for perineural hydrodissection, and Dr. Jannice Bowler examined injectable polyacrylamide hydrogel and near-infrared light as tools in the pain toolbox.
The afternoon keynote from Dr. Hance Clarke of Toronto General Hospital and the University of Toronto surveyed what is hot and emerging in Canadian pain care and research, including personalized care, AI-supported tools, and new pharmacologic options on the horizon. Neurologist Dr. Alexander Melinyshyn then brought modern headache medicine to the orthopaedic clinician, and Dr. Edwin Lee reviewed the evidence on the peptide BPC-157 for musculoskeletal injuries. The day closed on a memorable note, as Master Dao Shi, a 35th-generation Shaolin disciple, led delegates through the ancient art of applied Qigong for healing. Friday concluded with a cocktail reception among our exhibitors.
Day Two: the human side of pain medicine
Saturday’s morning plenaries turned toward the clinician-patient relationship. Dr. Ravi Dhanoa shared practical communication strategies for building rapport and reducing risk, Dr. David Frost of the University of Toronto reflected on uncertainty and ambiguity in medical practice, and Dr. Amanda Peticca-Harris of Grenoble École de Management in France explored the work of hoping in clinical care.
Delegates then chose from two rounds of breakout sessions: Dr. Gordon Ko on foundations and risk optimization in regenerative medicine; Dr. Keith Weber on perineural injection treatment for migraine, headache, cervicalgia, and trigeminal neuralgia; Dr. Steven Karageanes on whiplash-associated disorder from a regenerative medicine lens; Drs. Zuzana Triska and Jon Chow on a clinical approach to regenerative injections; and Dr. Gretchen Andrews on simple and safe manual medicine techniques for the neck and thoracic spine.
The afternoon plenaries brought the program to a powerful close. Dr. Sid Bhattacharyya spoke about recognizing and managing hypermobility spectrum disorders in the “bendy” pain patient, Dr. Tyler Maltman presented on the diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia along with emerging neuroplastic approaches, and Julia Cardy shared her lived experience of severe chronic migraine and her more recent treatment with dextrose injections, a moving reminder of the patients at the centre of everything we do.
Celebrating a founder
The conference concluded with a Celebratory Dinner in the Willard Room, where CAOM presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to founding member Dr. Jean-Paul Ouellette. The award was accepted on his behalf by his son, Dr. Érik Ouellette, a member of the CAOM Board of Directors. It was a fitting way to mark the Association’s 40th conference. [Read the full story of Dr. Ouellette’s remarkable career here.]
Thank you to our outgoing board members
CAOM runs on the volunteer efforts of its Board of Directors. This year we said farewell to three outgoing board members: Dr. Nico Bisson, Dr. Jannice Bowler, and Dr. Alexandra Dubé. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. The Association is stronger because of your service.
Conference Passport winners
Congratulations to the winners of our gift card draw, selected from the completed exhibitor passports: Dr. Sara Behrouz, Dr. Darren Barber, and Dr. Paul Missouna. Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit our exhibitors.
With gratitude
A conference of this calibre is only possible through the generosity and hard work of many people.
To our sponsors and exhibitors, thank you for your support, which made this conference possible: AbbVie, Arthrosamid by Contura, Canadian Peptide Research Society, CCE Medical Equipment (Samsung), Crucial Pins, Esaote, Formula One Labs and Pharmacy, FUJIFILM Sonosite, GE HealthCare, InflaFlex, MDBiologix, OMA Insurance, Pendopharm, Platinum Art, West Coast Injection Training, and York Downs Chemists.
To our presenters, thank you for sharing your expertise, your research, and your experience so generously. Many of you travelled a long way to be with us, and your contributions made this program exceptional.
To our preconference and breakout facilitators, thank you for the hours of preparation and hands-on teaching that make CAOM’s practical workshops so valued by our members.
And a very special thank you to Sylvia Vespa of Girasole Events, CAOM’s event and operations manager, whose careful planning and tireless work behind the scenes made every part of this conference run smoothly.
Looking ahead
The learning doesn’t stop here. Mark your calendar for CAOM’s Regenerative Musculoskeletal Injection Cadaver Workshop in Calgary this coming April, offering both periphery and spine tracks. If you’ve been building your regenerative injection skills, consider pursuing CROMIC certification; full requirements are available under the Education tab at caom.ca. And stay connected between conferences by following CAOM on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Toronto. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel in Toronto for the 41st Annual Conference, September 16 to 18, 2027.
