About 65 million American adults live with chronic pain. Muscles can be a source of that pain, but their role may go unrecognized. FRAME supports research, education, and advocacy to bring muscle examination and treatment into pain medicine.
Back pain can have several sources. Examination often focuses on the spine, while the role of muscles may receive less attention. When pain persists after treatment, examining muscles can be an important part of understanding why.
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. FRAME works to expand the research and training needed to address this gap.
Learn about the science"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, MD, Co-Founder, FRAME Foundation
We aspire to establish muscle pain medicine as a discipline that recognizes the role of soft tissue in common pain problems. Our work brings together research, education, and advocacy.
Funding studies of how muscles generate pain and how examination and treatment can improve outcomes.
Developing continuing medical education, fellowships, and clinical training in the examination and treatment of muscle pain.
Advocating for clinical guidelines and standards of care that include muscle examination when evaluating chronic pain.
In 1961, Dr. Hans Kraus treated President John F. Kennedy’s back pain with a program of therapeutic exercise. Historical accounts describe improvement and plans for a national back pain institute. The institute was never established.
Dr. Norman Marcus, MD, studied with Dr. Kraus from 1991 to 1996. That experience informed his clinical work and research on muscle pain.
Dr. Marcus co-founded FRAME with Dr. Chris Hayes to expand the evidence and physician education needed to include soft tissue in the diagnosis and treatment of pain.
Desiree Lee, FRAME Foundation President
Muscle-focused treatment helped Desiree Lee return to travel and a career she loves. She lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and had experienced years of pain that limited everyday activities. Today, she leads FRAME as its president.
Her experience gives FRAME’s mission a personal foundation: helping more people benefit from research and better recognition of muscle pain.
FRAME connects research, clinical education, and patient advocacy. Our work serves people living with chronic pain and those working to improve their care.
Persistent pain deserves careful examination. Learn about muscle pain and find questions to discuss with a clinician.
Find Out MoreA preliminary study published in Pain Medicine in 2013 reported sustained improvement after a muscle pain protocol in patients with persistent pain after prior treatment. Review the methods, findings, and limitations.
Review the evidenceYour support helps fund clinical research and physician education in muscle pain. Explore the studies, fellowships, and training programs FRAME is working to develop.
See the opportunitiesYour support helps fund research and physician education so that muscle pain receives greater attention in clinical care.