Franklin Pain and Wellness Center

Osteoporosis is the most common type of bone disease which affects 1 out of 5 American women over the age of 50 throughout the US. Weakened, highly breakable bones are a sign of osteoporosis. It is a common problem that develops as people live into their 70s and beyond.

Osteoporosis occurs when the body fails to form enough new bone, or when too much calcium and phosphate are reabsorbed back into the body from existing bones. This results in frail and breakable bones even without injury and the condition is extremely painful.

Each year an estimated 1.4 million people worldwide suffer a spinal fracture. Most often these fractures are caused by osteoporosis.

There are really no symptoms of osteoporosis early on, however symptoms occurring late in the disease include bone pain, bone fracture without injury, loss of height, low back pain, neck pain, and stooped posture.

Left untreated, spinal fractures can cause pain and limit one’s ability to perform simple activities, which can lead to a diminished quality of life. Multiple fractures can also result in height loss, a hunched back and other physical problems. Kyphoplasty is a minimally-invasive procedure which treats spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis. It is designed to provide rapid back pain relief and help straighten the spine.

For information on Kyphoplasty procedure, contact The Franklin Pain Center and Wellness Center.

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to be prescribed opioid pain killers than other veterans with pain problems and more likely to use the opioids in risky ways, according to a study published by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also found that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who were prescribed opioids for pain – and particularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder — had a higher prevalence of “adverse clinical outcomes,” like overdoses, self-inflicted injuries and injuries caused by accidents or fighting.

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense have for years been trying to reduce the use of opioid pain therapy among active duty troops and veterans amid reports of overmedication, addiction, rampant drug abuse and accidental deaths caused by overdoses or toxic mixing of medications.

If you are a veteran or have a loved one who is a veteran, please consider alternatives to opioid therapy, particularly with PTSD patients.

Understanding the potential links between post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain is important because both are common among service members. By some estimates, one in five combat veterans report symptoms of PTSD, which can include nightmares, flashbacks, irritability and sleeplessness.

Chronic pain is also prevalent among troops and veterans, even those who have not experienced major battlefield injuries, like the loss of a limb. Lower back, knee, shoulder and other joint pains are common because of the routine physical stresses of the work, including wearing heavy body armor and packs.

More and more veterans with chronic pain problems are willing to try alternative pain therapies. Veterans know other veterans who have had problems and they don’t want to get hooked on narcotics. So there is great openness to treating pain with therapies other than opiates.

Massachusetts Veterans or families of veterans, for more information on management of chronic pain, please contact Franklin Pain and Wellness Center.

Excerpts from International News Network

"Dr. Shwartzman gave me my life back and I am so thankful that Kyphoplasty was available to me. People told me before the Kyphoplasty was done that my skin color was gray because of the pain I was in. Now I have my normal skin color and feel I feel so much better thanks to Dr. Shwartzman and the Kyphoplasty procedures. I can't say enough about the Kyphoplasty procedure and how it helped me, and I can't thank Dr. Shwartzman enough for his expertise."

Vertebral Compression Fracture Causes

Compression fractures of the back are broken vertebrae, which are the bones of the spine. Compression fractures of the vertebra may be caused by:

Osteoporosis, which is the most common cause. These types of fractures can lead to chronic pain and disability.

Trauma to the back – Injury severe enough to cause a vertebra to break can occur from a fall where you land on your back, feet, or buttocks. It can also be caused by a car accident.

Pathologic fracture this is a fracture caused by a preexisting disease like cancer in the bone. Cancer tumors in the bone can either start in the bone or spine, like multiple myeloma, which start in the spine, or they can travel to the bone from other tumors in the body.

The vertebral fracture may also occur because of a localized infection of the bone. This often occurs in people with diabetes or in those who abuse IV drugs.

Multiple fractures may lead to a hump-like curvature of the spine which is also called kyphosis.

Vertebral Compression Fracture Symptoms

The pain from Vertebral Compression Fracture tends to be in the lower back but may occur in the upper back or neck. Some people may also have hip, abdominal, or thigh pain.

You may experience numbness, tingling, and weakness: Such symptoms could mean compression of the nerves at the point of the fracture.

Most compression fractures occur in older people with osteoporosis. These fractures generally do not cause injury to the spinal cord, but they can cause pain. The condition is usually treated with medicines and calcium supplements to prevent further fractures.

Other than narcotic pain treatment, Vertebral Compression Fractures may be treated with a back braces, but these may further weaken the bones and increase your risk of more fractures. Physical therapy is also used as pain treatment in order to improve your movement and strength around the spine.

The latest advancement in spinal fracture treatment is called Kyphoplasty. This minimally invasive procedure is offered by the specialists at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center.

A comprehensive examination will be done and some additional lab tests may be performed. This is done in order to establish the most thorough and accurate diagnosis so that a customized program that will target your specific pain can be created.

If you suffer from Vertebral Compression Fractures, contact Franklin Pain and Wellness Center.

Back Pain is the most common type of chronics pain. Sometimes, back pain is the result of a fractured spinal disc. If you’re experiencing symptoms like…

• Sudden, severe back pain.
• Worsening of pain when standing or walking.
• Some pain relief when lying down.
• Difficulty and pain when bending or twisting.
• Loss of height.
• Deformity of the spine - the curved, "hunchback" shape.

…you could have a fractured disc. Sometimes a fractured disc is very painful and other times, the fracture occurs gradually so the pain isn’t necessarily immediately felt. Some people don’t feel the pain, but rather notice their back becoming more curved. This is usually a sign of multiple fractured discs.

Luckily, the specialists at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center have a minimally invasive solution for this type of back pain called Kyphoplasty. Kyphoplasty is a procedure done with local anesthesia. The doctor first numbs the area of the back near the compressed disc. A tiny hollow tube is inserted into the back right into the fractured vertebrae and then fills the vertebrae with a cast material, which hardens and restores the height of the vertebrae. Kyphoplasty only takes a few hours and the recovery is generally very easy.

The best part is that Kyphoplasty is a great high tech solution for back pain as opposed to medications, which only treat the symptoms, require refills and often have side effects and addictive properties. For a non-narcotic solution for your back pain, contact The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center at Staff@franklinpaincenter.com or call (508) 507-8818.

The newly released study in the Journal of Pain found that when asked to rate their pain on a scale of 0 to 10 - 0 being no pain, and 10 being the worst pain - women on average scored their pain 20% more intense than men.

The results held from back pain and neck pain, digestive disorders, sinus infections, and even ankle strains and sprains. In almost every category, women reported more pain than men.

The overall results tended to confirm the fact that women with fibromyalgia or migraines report more pain than men with those conditions. But the study also identified previously undocumented gender differences. For example, pain intensity among patients with acute sinusitis or neck pain is greater in women than in men.

According to the results of the study women experience more intense pain than men. The fact that women report more pain overall doesn't necessarily mean they have more or less tolerance to pain than men.

There are numerous studies showing that women report more pain than men for a number of diseases. The study doesn't explain the reason for the difference, and it could include social, psychological or biological factors. For example, men may be more reluctant to confess intense pain to a female nurse. Women are more likely than men to suffer from depression and anxiety, two psychological conditions that can increase susceptibility to pain.

For the study, the researchers analyzed electronic medical records to examine more than 160,000 pain scores reported for more than 72,000 adult patients. The results showed higher pain scores for women in virtually every disease category. The differences were both statistically and clinically significant.

There certainly are differences in pain among men and women. But this study focused on pain intensity, most previous studies looked at the prevalence: the percentage of men versus women with a particular clinical problem who are in pain.

Information from USA Today and SF Gate

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

No one should live with pain. This holiday season give a gift to yourself, learn how to relieve your pain without narcotics.

Whether you suffer from back pain, cancer pain, or neck pain, a pain specialist can help. Chronic pain is pain that has been going on for 3 to 6 months since it began.

Cancer patients or patients recovering from surgery are often prone to chronic pain. Many feel they need to live with the pain as an alternative to taking narcotic pain medication. This is not the case. The pain specialists at Franklin Pain and Wellness have determined methods and treatments to minimize chronic pain such as lower back; neck; headaches; post herpetic neuralgia (shingles); reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD); maxillofacial pain and other chronic ailments.

Our team of nurses and anesthesiologists are specifically trained in pain management. Working with your physician, we will determine the best course of treatment for you; contact us.

CASE OF THE MONTH

Minimizing Medication Dependency of Difficult Chronic Pain Patients

Our Comprehensive pain management approach offers procedures and treatments to help manage your patient's pain.

Radiofrequency Ablation eliminates need for Canadian Crutches

Pain patient, Carlo, tells Franklin Pain Center...

"I have been in pain in my back, neck and legs since 1999. I had to use a cane and then had to use Canadian crutches to help me walk. I was always in pain and my activities were always shortened, not to mention the pain medication I was taking, which was not helping. Before going to Dr. Boris I was worried that I would get worse, but I had too much pain and my quality of life was limited. I couldn’t walk nor stand [for too long] before I had to sit. Even sitting for a long period of time was painful. Today I feel much better. I still have pain but nothing like before. I don’t use the cane nor do I use my Canadian crutches. After the nerve blocks my life is better, I’m more active and more mobile. I am so thankful to Dr. Boris and recommend the pain treatment to everyone. My life is so much better I am happier and now can enjoy myself with my family. My wife is happier also."

For a referral packet or to refer a patient using our referral form on our website go to franklinpaincenter.com/doctors