Sixty-five million Americans struggle with chronic pain every year. For many, the source - their muscles - have never been properly examined. FRAME exists to change that through research, education, and advocacy that establishes muscles as a significant, overlooked organ system.
When a patient presents with back pain - one of the most common pain complaints worldwide - the immediate assumption is that the problem lies in the spine: a disc, a nerve, a vertebra. Imaging is ordered. Injections are tried. Surgery is scheduled. And in a significant number of cases, the pain persists, because the actual source was never identified.
Muscles are the largest organ system in the body and a common source of pain. Yet recognition of their role in pain production is virtually absent from medical school curricula, clinical guidelines, and diagnostic protocols. The result is a cycle of misdiagnosis, failed interventions, and unnecessary suffering that affects millions of people and costs billions of dollars each year.
"If you come in with pain and it's related to your back, we immediately assume it has something to do with your spine. Muscles are just not part of the way physicians think about diagnosing pain."- Dr. Norman Marcus, Co-Founder, FRAME Foundation
We aspire to create a new discipline in medicine that will recognize the importance of soft tissue in common pain problems. To that end, we support Research, Education, and Advocacy.
Funding studies that explore the importance of muscles in common pain syndromes.
Creating CME curricula, specialty fellowships, and clinical training programs that incorporate the evaluation of soft tissue as an important pain generator for common pain syndromes.
Advocating for changes to clinical guidelines and standards of care so that muscle pain evaluation and treatment are part of every chronic pain encounter.
Dr. Hans Kraus was President John F. Kennedy's physician for his back pain. Had President Kennedy not been assassinated, what FRAME is attempting to do today would already be commonplace.
After Dr. Kraus successfully treated JFK, the president was planning to start a national back pain institute based on Kraus's model of care. One of our founding members studied with Dr. Kraus for five years; our approach is colored by his experience.
Identifying muscles as a source of chronic pain and demonstrating they respond to targeted treatment convinced Dr. Norman Marcus that the standard of care in pain treatment needed to be expanded to include soft tissue.
Together with Dr. Chris Hayes, he co-founded FRAME to build the institutional infrastructure that this field has never had - the research, the training programs, and the advocacy to change the standard of care.
- Desiree Lee, FRAME Foundation President & former chronic pain patient
Desiree was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition in which overwhelming muscle pain is a primary symptom. After years of inadequate treatment, she found a clinician trained in muscle-focused care. Today, she travels freely, works in a career she loves, and leads FRAME as its president.
Her story is not unusual in its suffering - millions share it. What's unusual is that she found effective treatment.
FRAME works at the intersection of research, clinical practice, and patient advocacy. Our work is designed to reach everyone touched by chronic pain - and everyone positioned to help end it.
You're not imagining it. The source of your pain may have been overlooked. Learn what effective treatment looks like and how to advocate for yourself.
Find Out MorePeer-reviewed evidence suggests that a structured muscle pain protocol can produce long-term relief in patients who have failed prior interventions - including surgery. We welcome your interest and invite you to join us in promoting more inclusive diagnostic and treatment options for common pain syndromes.
Review the evidenceResearch is what ultimately transforms a healthcare system. Your investment funds the clinical trials, fellowship training, and educational infrastructure needed to ensure that muscle pain is diagnosed, treated, and ultimately covered by insurance.
See the opportunitiesThe research needed to transform how chronic pain is diagnosed and treated requires funding from people who understand what is at stake.