Franklin Pain and Wellness Center

Chronic pain specialists are doctors who are specially trained to manage chronic pain.  Usually, anesthesiologists are ideal doctors to manage pain since anesthesiology is a field that works to manage pain during otherwise painful procedures.  Surgery, labor and other painful procedures require temporary pain management, while other conditions require longer term or chronic pain management.  

Conditions like arthritis, back pain, muscle pain, nerve pain or even cancer pain require special pain management.  A pain specialist is able to assess the patient’s medical history, review symptoms and create a specific treatment plan to manage each individual’s pain.  

The pain specialist works in collaboration with other physicians in order to fully help the patient attain the most comfortable condition possible.  The goal of the pain specialist is to minimize medication dependency while increasing the patient’s comfort and quality of life.  Depending on the type and origin of pain, the pain specialist will perform minimally invasive procedures in order to minimize pain and increase the patient’s mobility and activity level.  

If you experience chronic pain, call The Franklin Pain Center at or e-mail us at staff@franklinpaincenter.com to schedule an evaluation.

Back pain is a familiar malady these days, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lifetime. Its prevalence is linked to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Less than 20% of private-industry jobs require moderate physical activity and experts agree that our bodies aren't designed for optimum desk job performance.

The body loves movement," explains Dr. Mary Ann Wilmarth, chief of physical therapy at Harvard University. "When you're in one position for a long time, your back doesn't get the full range of motion."

Sitting also puts more stress on your back than standing. When you're seated, your spinal column has to hold 140% of your body weight. When you're standing, this decreases to 100%. The extra stress when sitting can strain muscles and cause disc problems. Combined with prolonged poor posture of hunching over your computer, you're bound to feel some aches eventually.

Feeling the pain? It is treatable.  If your pain is caused by a specific condition like stenosis or a herniated disc, or,  if your pain radiates to other body parts, you can consult with your physician or call The Franklin Pain Center.

For nonspecific pain, the key is to get moving. Try standing every 30 minutes and stretching, extending arms upward while gently arching your back. You don't have to stretch for long periods to feel relief. Just standing up for a minute or two puts the muscles in a different position, increases blood flow and relieves some of the stress on your body.

Increasing your range of motion is key. If you sit at a desk, you need to perform standing activities. If you walk often already, consider an exercise with a different motion, such as bicycling.  If your pain makes it too difficult to do these activities, The Franklin Pain Center will provide treatment to get you in a condition where you can do more physical activity than before and build up muscle to mitigate future painful conditions.
 
Excerpts from Kansas City Star

You were an active adult and an active senior up until recently. Arthritis aches and pains have been slowly getting worse and now you are at the point of being uncomfortable for most if not all of your day. But the worse part of your arthritis pain is that now, as a result of the pain, you can no longer work out, go for walks, or maintain that active lifestyle that you are used to.

With later stage, or more developed arthritis, often cortisone shots no longer work, and that was how you used to get temporary relief. Arthritis should not be allowed to take away your freedom and your health. Debilitating chronic arthritis pain allows age to creep up on you where you used to be able to hold it off through your activities and your active lifestyle.

The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center may be the solution to your arthritis pain. Our pain specialists have determined methods and treatments to minimize chronic arthritis pain. Contact us and get your life and your lifestyle back.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a type of nerve pain that affects the skin of the face.  A common symptom of trigeminal neuralgia is sharp electric-like spasms that last a few seconds, minutes or may even become constant.  Pain is generally felt on one side of the face.  Usually the spasms occur around the eye, cheek and lower part of the face. 

The pain stems from the trigeminal nerve and sends pain signals via it’s extended branches to the face.  Generally, when the root of the trigeminal nerve is compressed, it misfires, resulting in these painful attacks.  

Trigeminal nerve blocks are one of the treatments offered at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center to control the pain caused by Trigeminal Neuralgia.  Nerve blocks are most effective when repeated several times over weeks or months.  This way, the pain can be controlled for much longer. 

To find out if Trigeminal Nerve Blocks are a good treatment option for you, or to discuss your pain solution, call The Franklin Pain and Wellness at (508) 507-8818 or e-mail at staff@franklinpaincenter.com.