Franklin Pain and Wellness Center

One of the complaints of pain patients is that they are misunderstood. They feel like a burden to their friends and family, or that people don’t believe the pain they are experiencing is real. At the Franklin Pain Center the entire staff is trained and dedicated to pain patients.

Often, pain is hard to describe and can be frustrating. At the Franklin Pain and Wellness Center, the doctors take the time to listen to the patients’ concerns. We also understand how important it is to communicate with other specialists the patient has been seen by, in order to collect a full medical history. This helps with pain diagnosis and treatment planning.

If you feel frustrated about your pain situation, call the specialists at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center to schedule an evaluation. Call 508-507-8818 or e-mail staff@franklinpaincenter.com.

A recent article in The New York Times titled “Living With Pain That Just Won’t Go Away” states “Pain, especially pain that doesn't quit, changes a person. And rarely for the better. The initial reaction to serious pain is usually fear (what is wrong with me, and is it curable?), but pain that fails to respond to treatment leads to anxiety, depression, anger and irritability.”

Unfortunately, this is often true and as demand for pain management grows, pain specialists like the ones at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center are constantly updating themselves on the latest technologies and methods to help patients manage their pain. Procedures like Kyphoplasty or Spinal Cord Stimulation are high-tech options that have brought several patients relief.

One patient states “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 and how much he has helped me”. These types of results are not uncommon at The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center, so if you feel that you or someone you know could benefit from the state-of-the-art care that The Franklin Pain and Wellness Center team can offer, call us at (508) 507-8818 or e-mail us at staff@franklinpaincenter.com to set up your evaluation.

Leg pain is a common complaint. The goal of the pain specialist is to pinpoint the source of the leg pain and then determine the best treatment plan for that leg pain. At the Franklin Pain and Wellness Center, a pain specialist will first do a full examination and review of your medical history. If needed, the pain specialist will collaborate with other physicians to obtain as much information about your specific case as possible.

Followed by the initial evaluation and diagnosis, the pain specialist will recommend a procedure. A common procedure for leg pain is Spinal Cord Stimulation. Spinal Cord Stimulation uses a small implanted device to generate tiny electrical pulses that replace the feeling of pain with a tingling or massaging sensation. Spinal cord stimulation is a widely accepted medical treatment. It is an FDA-approved therapy for treatment of chronic pain of the trunk and limbs (back, legs and arms). Many major health insurance plans, Medicare and worker's compensation programs provide benefits and coverage for Spinal Cord Stimulation therapy.

If you feel that you may be a candidate for spinal cord stimulation, call the Franklin Pain and Wellness Center at 508-507-8818 or e-mail staff@franklinpaincenter.com to schedule your evaluation.

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.

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.