10th International Conference on Recent Advances in Pain

3–6 September 2026 | Kolkata, India

Theme: “From Evidence to Practice: Shaping the Future of Pain Medicine”

ICRAPAIN 2026 marked the 10th edition of the International Conference on Recent Advances in Pain, bringing together more than 600 pain professionals for scientific exchange, research presentations, practical training and international academic collaboration in pain medicine.

Organized by Daradia Pain Foundation in association with Daradia: The Pain Clinic, Kolkata, the four-day academic programme combined pre-conference workshops, two days of scientific sessions and a post-conference ultrasound workshop.

The conference aimed to move beyond discussion of emerging technologies alone and focus on how current evidence can be translated responsibly into clinical practice.

ICRAPAIN 2026 at a Glance

• More than 600 registered pain professionals
• More than 80 international participants
• International faculty representation from more than 20 countries
• 52 scientific abstracts
• 42 delegate abstracts
• 10 faculty abstracts
• Multiple parallel scientific sessions
• Plenary lectures, debates and panel discussions
• Research and young-investigator presentations
• Pre-conference Pain Biologics and fluoroscopy-guided workshops
• Post-conference ultrasound-guided hands-on training
• Innovation-focused sessions including the ICRA-PAIN Shark Tank
• Academic awards, convocation and professional networking

These figures reflect the growing emphasis within ICRAPAIN on combining clinical education with research, practical training and international collaboration.

A Scientific Programme Built Around Contemporary Pain Medicine

The scientific programme addressed a broad range of established and emerging areas within pain medicine.

Major topics included:

• musculoskeletal ultrasound
• radiofrequency procedures
• neuropathic pain
• nociplastic pain
• cancer pain
• regenerative therapies and Pain Biologics
• PRP and bone marrow aspirate concentrate
• neuromodulation
• spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation
• endoscopic spine interventions
• vertebral augmentation
• chronic musculoskeletal pain
• interventional pain safety
• artificial intelligence
• digital twins and extended reality
• research methodology and outcomes
• contemporary approaches to clinical assessment and patient selection

The programme was designed around the central theme of translating evidence into practical decision-making rather than focusing on procedural techniques in isolation.

International Academic Participation

ICRAPAIN 2026 brought together faculty and participants from India and multiple regions worldwide.

The international scientific programme included contributions from pain physicians and academicians from countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Among the invited international faculty were experts including Prof. Philip Peng from Canada, Prof. Jin-Woo Shin, Prof. Jae Chul Koh and Prof. Lee Pyung-Bok from South Korea, together with faculty from the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, the Philippines and several other countries.

Prof. Philip Peng joined the conference online for a plenary session on shoulder denervation in chronic pain.

Other international sessions addressed areas including spinal epidural balloon decompression, digital technologies in pain interventions, neuropathic pain, radiofrequency procedures and contemporary interventional pain practice.

The diversity of faculty and participants provided opportunities to compare pain-management practices across different healthcare systems and clinical environments.

Research at ICRAPAIN 2026

Research remained an important component of the 10th ICRAPAIN.

A total of 52 scientific abstracts formed part of the academic programme:

• 42 abstracts from delegates
• 10 abstracts from faculty

Dedicated abstract-presentation sessions enabled clinicians and researchers to present original work before faculty panels.

ICRAPAIN continues to encourage physicians—particularly younger clinicians—to move beyond procedural training and participate in research, scientific writing, critical appraisal and evidence-based clinical decision-making.

From Observation to Hands-On Learning

Practical education has remained a central component of ICRAPAIN.

Pre-Conference Training

The pre-conference programme included dedicated practical training in Pain Biologics and fluoroscopy-guided pain interventions.

Fluoroscopy training used real-bone mannequins and structured stations covering procedures involving the lumbar, sacral, thoracic and cervical regions.

The Pain Biologics programme included discussion and practical education around regenerative strategies such as platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate concentrate, with particular emphasis on evidence, patient selection, technique and safety.

Post-Conference Ultrasound Workshop

The post-conference programme provided structured ultrasound-guided hands-on education through faculty-supervised rotational stations.

Participants received practical exposure to ultrasound anatomy and procedural approaches involving multiple regions of the body.

The workshop model was intended to encourage active participation rather than passive observation.

Pain Biologics and Regenerative Medicine

Pain Biologics and regenerative therapies generated considerable scientific discussion during ICRAPAIN 2026.

Sessions examined the evidence surrounding:

• platelet-rich plasma
• bone marrow aspirate concentrate
• mesenchymal stromal cell-based therapies
• phenotype-based management of osteoarthritis
• patient selection
• tissue-targeted treatment strategies
• integration of regenerative therapies with rehabilitation and biomechanical management

The academic emphasis remained on evaluating these treatments according to evidence, clinical indication and appropriate patient selection rather than considering regenerative therapy as a universal solution for chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Digital Technology and the Future of Pain Medicine

ICRAPAIN 2026 also explored how emerging technologies may influence the future practice of pain medicine.

Sessions included discussion of:

• artificial intelligence
• immersive medical digital twins
• extended-reality-guided interventions
• newer neuromodulation strategies
• innovation in interventional pain medicine

These sessions were intended not simply to showcase technology, but to encourage critical discussion regarding clinical usefulness, safety, evidence and future research.

Innovation and Young Physician Participation

A major objective of ICRAPAIN is to provide opportunities for younger pain physicians to participate actively in academic activity.

The 2026 conference included:

• abstract presentations
• short-format “Next Generation Pain Talks”
• quiz competitions
• case-based discussions
• research presentations
• the ICRA-PAIN Shark Tank innovation platform
• faculty–delegate interaction
• awards and recognition programmes

The aim was to create a platform where younger clinicians could present ideas, receive feedback and develop greater involvement in research and academic medicine.

Delegate Feedback

A structured post-conference feedback survey was completed by 81 respondents.

The reported average ratings were:

Component	Average Rating
Overall ICRAPAIN 2026 conference	9.22/10
Scientific programme	9.22/10
Live Pain Biologics Workshop	9.63/10
C-arm Workshop	9.46/10
Ultrasound Workshop	9.22/10

Among respondents, 75% expressed interest in attending ICRAPAIN 2027.

The feedback also identified areas for improvement, including workshop rotations, time management, movement between scientific halls, availability of printed programmes and accommodation coordination.

These comments will be considered in planning future editions of ICRAPAIN.

Recognition and Awards

ICRAPAIN 2026 included awards recognizing contributions to pain medicine, research, academic development and pain awareness.

Award recipients included:

• Prithvi Raj Award – Dr. Shovan Rath
• Susan Raj Young Pain Physician Award – Dr. Prateek Arora
• Best Researcher Award – Dr. Madhan Pandian

Pain Ambassador Awards were presented to:

• Dr. Vivek Chakole
• Dr. Pratibha Matche
• Dr. Vanmathy V.
• Dr. G. K. Kumar
• Dr. Bhaben Boro
• Dr. Harshita Surange

The awards programme forms part of ICRAPAIN’s broader objective of recognizing clinical, academic, research and educational contributions within pain medicine.

Beyond Attendance Numbers

While more than 600 professionals participated in ICRAPAIN 2026, the organizers consider attendance alone an incomplete measure of the conference’s impact.

The broader academic outcomes included:

Research participation
52 scientific abstracts contributed to the programme.

International collaboration
Faculty and participants from more than 20 countries contributed to the meeting.

Practical education
Multiple hands-on programmes provided supervised training in ultrasound, fluoroscopy-guided procedures and Pain Biologics.

Knowledge translation
Scientific sessions emphasized moving from evidence to appropriate clinical application.

Young physician development
Abstract sessions, short-format talks, quizzes and innovation platforms created opportunities for emerging pain physicians.

Professional networking
The meeting provided opportunities for clinicians, educators and researchers from different countries to establish academic relationships and exchange ideas.

Building an Academic Archive

ICRAPAIN 2026 should not exist only as a four-day conference.

Selected scientific programmes, lectures, research presentations, photographs, educational videos and other conference resources will form part of the continuing ICRAPAIN academic archive.

The objective is to preserve the educational output of each conference so that clinicians and researchers can continue to access relevant material after the physical meeting has concluded.

Lessons for Future ICRAPAIN Meetings

The 10th edition also generated several lessons that will influence future conferences.

Future planning will continue to focus on:

• maintaining strong scientific content
• increasing opportunities for research presentation
• improving workshop participant-to-faculty interaction
• refining workshop rotations
• improving navigation between parallel sessions
• strengthening communication with delegates
• expanding meaningful international academic collaboration
• providing greater visibility to young researchers
• preserving conference educational material in a structured digital archive

Continuous improvement based on delegate and faculty feedback remains an important part of the ICRAPAIN model.

Looking Ahead: ICRAPAIN 2027

Following the completion of the 10th edition, preparations are underway for the 11th ICRAPAIN in 2027.

Dates: 17–20 September 2027

Venue: Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town, Kolkata, India

The programme is planned as:

17 September 2027 — Pre-conference workshops

18–19 September 2027 — Main conference

20 September 2027 — Post-conference workshops

ICRAPAIN 2027 will continue the conference’s focus on evidence-based pain medicine, research, international academic collaboration, innovation and practical physician education.

About ICRAPAIN

The International Conference on Recent Advances in Pain (ICRAPAIN) is an academic conference dedicated to developments in pain medicine.

It brings together pain physicians, anesthesiologists, researchers, educators and trainees for scientific lectures, debates, research presentations, workshops and professional collaboration.

ICRAPAIN is organized by Daradia Pain Foundation in association with Daradia: The Pain Clinic, Kolkata.

The conference aims to encourage evidence-based, ethical and clinically relevant advancement of pain medicine through education, research and international academic exchange.

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Suggested Resources

View the ICRAPAIN 2026 Scientific Programme

Meet the International Faculty

Explore ICRAPAIN Awards

Watch Selected ICRAPAIN 2026 Lectures

View ICRAPAIN 2026 Photos

Explore ICRAPAIN 2027