Frequently asked questions

FRAME stands for Foundation for Research and Advocacy for Muscle Pain Education. We are a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to establish muscle pain medicine as a discipline through research, physician education, and advocacy.

Dr. Norman Marcus, MD, and Dr. Chris Hayes co-founded FRAME to improve the recognition and treatment of muscle pain. Dr. Marcus’s clinical work and research build on his training with Dr. Hans Kraus. Read Our Story.

President Desiree Lee, Vice President Steve Russell, and Treasurer Neil Ash lead FRAME. Our board consists entirely of volunteers, many with personal experience of soft tissue pain. Meet our leadership, board, and advisors.

FRAME is a research and education foundation, not a medical provider. We support research and physician training. The information on this site can help inform a conversation with a qualified clinician; it does not replace an individual medical evaluation.

Our focus is pain arising from muscles and related soft tissues, including fascia, the connective tissue around muscles. The Clinicians page explains the biological mechanisms and supporting research.

Muscles can be a source of back pain. Examining them alongside other possible sources may help clinicians understand persistent symptoms. FRAME supports research into how to identify painful muscles and evaluate treatment outcomes.

No. Back pain has multiple possible sources. FRAME’s position is that muscles deserve consideration as part of a clinical evaluation, rather than being assumed to be the source in every case.

The published protocol combines examination to identify painful muscles with treatment of the involved muscle and its attachments, followed by electrical stimulation and therapeutic exercise. Our Clinicians page describes the method and the evidence needed to validate it.

The protocol described in the research examines and treats the involved muscle, including its attachments. This differs from an approach focused on an individual tender point. That distinction describes the method; it does not establish that one treatment is superior.

The research includes clinical studies, case reports, and work on the biological mechanisms of muscle pain. Each contributes different evidence. Our Science page lists publications, while the Clinicians page explains the findings and their limitations.

Marcus and colleagues reported reduced pain severity and interference with daily life in a retrospective analysis of 56 patients with persistent low back pain after prior treatment. The study was published in Pain Medicine in 2013. It had no randomized comparison group, so the findings need controlled validation. Read the study.

No. A preliminary study cannot predict an individual’s response or establish how the protocol compares with other treatments. FRAME supports further research to clarify which patients may benefit and how reliably.

Priorities include validating the examination method, testing treatment outcomes in prospective controlled studies, and identifying which patients are most likely to benefit. Read the clinical rationale and research priorities.

Dr. Norman Marcus studied muscle pain evaluation and treatment with Dr. Hans Kraus from 1991 to 1996. Kraus’s work, including his treatment of President John F. Kennedy’s back pain, is part of FRAME’s clinical history. That history informs the mission; current methods still need rigorous evaluation.

FRAME works to develop continuing medical education, fellowships, and clinical training in muscle pain. In 2024, the foundation supported a symposium at Weill Cornell Medicine on muscle pain and spine-related conditions.

Review the clinical evidence and contact info@frame.foundation to discuss research or educational collaboration.

Use it to prepare questions for a clinician about whether muscles may contribute to your pain and what an examination could involve. Decisions about diagnosis and treatment depend on your symptoms, history, and clinical findings.

FRAME cannot make an individual diagnosis or treatment recommendation. A qualified clinician can discuss which evaluations and treatments are appropriate for your circumstances.

Gifts support research, clinician education, and advocacy for greater recognition of muscle pain. Visit the donation page to give through secure Stripe checkout or contact FRAME about supporting a specific program.

Contact info@frame.foundation to arrange a recurring gift.

Yes. Contact info@frame.foundation to arrange a gift in someone’s honor or memory.

Contact info@frame.foundation to discuss the research or education work you would like to support.

Email info@frame.foundation or call (646) 450-8710.