KELVIN FRANKE, DO
INJURY PHYSIATRIST
PRACTICING AT

Care Through Collaboration

Recovery from complex injuries doesn't happen in isolation. It needs a coordinated team of providers who communicate easily, respect each other's expertise, and share a unified goal: your return to function and confidence.

Working with exceptional providers has been the privilege of my career.

Hover over each provider to read their kind words

Nancy Mitrano
Nancy Mitrano, PT, DPT
Owner, Impact PT
Lynnwood, WA
...kind words from Nancy Mitrano
Dr. Franke was one of the few physiatrists that actually put his hands on his patients and me. He is kind, patient and makes you feel as though he is truly listening. He is one of a kind. Old school doc that actually cares...............
Dr. Frank Wen
Dr. Frank Wen, DC
Integrity Chiropractic
Kirkland, WA
...kind words from Dr. Frank Wen
When I need to refer any patient to the next level for medical consultations and interventions, Dr. Franke is always my top choice. He is very kind and easy to work with professionally. Having worked with him for nearly a decade, his bedside manner, clinical expertise, and extensive network will ensure your patient continues to have a good experience on their journey back to well-being. You can be confident in your choice to partner with Dr. Franke.
Dr. Tiffany Mathias
Dr. Tiffany Mathias, MD, MBA
Pain Physician
Coast Injury, Everett, WA
...kind words from Dr. Tiffany Mathias
I had a very kind patient who I was having a tough time treating. Every potential therapeutic pathway failed to bring relief. I sent him to Dr. Franke for a diagnostic EMG. Dr. Franke thankfully went above and beyond during his electrodiagnostic testing. He tried dry needling to several supporting cervical muscles. He was able to isolate 3 muscles that when spasmed, reproduced the patient's pain, thereby allowing me to hone in on a noninvasive treatment plan for this patient that changed the game for him. 6 months later, this patient is pain free and back to his normal life. I'm grateful to meticulous, careful providers like Dr. Franke who are always willing to think outside of the box and go beyond face value.
Dr. Ben McCay
Dr. Ben McCay, DC
Advanced Chiropractic
Everett, WA
...kind words from Dr. Ben McCay
Dr. Franke is an exceptional physiatrist who truly puts patients first. He is approachable, easy to talk to, and an excellent listener with a genuinely positive attitude. My patients consistently report outstanding experiences and express a high level of trust in his care. He is a skilled diagnostician who provides honest, straightforward guidance without unnecessary fluff. He regularly goes above and beyond for patients and is always willing to collaborate by phone with other providers. His expertise in minimally invasive treatments, including dry needling, is well above average. Because of his thoughtful, conservative approach to patient care, Dr. Franke remains my top choice for pain management physiatric consultation in the North Seattle and Snohomish County region.
Nancy Mitrano
Nancy Mitrano, PT, DPT
Owner, Impact PT
Lynnwood, WA
...kind words from Nancy Mitrano
Dr. Franke was one of the few physiatrists that actually put his hands on his patients and me. He is kind, patient and makes you feel as though he is truly listening. He is one of a kind. Old school doc that actually cares...............
Dr. Frank Wen
Dr. Frank Wen, DC
Integrity Chiropractic
Kirkland, WA
...kind words from Dr. Frank Wen
When I need to refer any patient to the next level for medical consultations and interventions, Dr. Franke is always my top choice. He is very kind and easy to work with professionally. Having worked with him for nearly a decade, his bedside manner, clinical expertise, and extensive network will ensure your patient continues to have a good experience on their journey back to well-being. You can be confident in your choice to partner with Dr. Franke.
Dr. Tiffany Mathias
Dr. Tiffany Mathias, MD, MBA
Pain Physician
Coast Injury, Everett, WA
...kind words from Dr. Tiffany Mathias
I had a very kind patient who I was having a tough time treating. Every potential therapeutic pathway failed to bring relief. I sent him to Dr. Franke for a diagnostic EMG. Dr. Franke thankfully went above and beyond during his electrodiagnostic testing. He tried dry needling to several supporting cervical muscles. He was able to isolate 3 muscles that when spasmed, reproduced the patient's pain, thereby allowing me to hone in on a noninvasive treatment plan for this patient that changed the game for him. 6 months later, this patient is pain free and back to his normal life. I'm grateful to meticulous, careful providers like Dr. Franke who are always willing to think outside of the box and go beyond face value.
Dr. Ben McCay
Dr. Ben McCay, DC
Advanced Chiropractic
Everett, WA
...kind words from Dr. Ben McCay
Dr. Franke is an exceptional physiatrist who truly puts patients first. He is approachable, easy to talk to, and an excellent listener with a genuinely positive attitude. My patients consistently report outstanding experiences and express a high level of trust in his care. He is a skilled diagnostician who provides honest, straightforward guidance without unnecessary fluff. He regularly goes above and beyond for patients and is always willing to collaborate by phone with other providers. His expertise in minimally invasive treatments, including dry needling, is well above average. Because of his thoughtful, conservative approach to patient care, Dr. Franke remains my top choice for pain management physiatric consultation in the North Seattle and Snohomish County region.

Why Collaboration Matters

You may have complex musculoskeletal and neurological injuries. These require more than a single provider can offer. True recovery needs integration across disciplines: medical diagnosis paired with skilled manual therapy, psychological support, and evidence-based treatment.

Integration, Not Handoffs

I've worked in a few different scales of clinical settings: hospital, then multi-specialty group, then single specialty clinic, and now as a solo provider. Traditional healthcare - hospitals - fragments care with sequential referrals: see the doctor, then the therapist, then maybe a specialist. This model creates gaps where information is lost, treatment conflicts arise, and patients feel caught between competing recommendations.

Once I left that system, I saw that smaller settings weren't always better. I'd see single providers seeing the same patient continuously for an extended period without ever reaching out for other opinions. This is almost as bad.

I'm trying something different. I maintain direct communication with everybody I can - physical therapists, chiropractors, mental health counselors, and any other treating providers. As a team, we share clinical findings, adjust treatment plans in real time, and ensure our interventions complement rather than contradict each other.

The Physiatrist Role in the Care Team

Little did I know when I chose to be a physiatrist what a special position it could take in a team like this. Physiatry is dedicated to taking a team approach, which works so well in cases like this.

Here I function as both a diagnostic coordinator and, at times, treating provider. I refine the medical diagnosis through examination, imaging, and electrodiagnostic testing, then take that information into my conversations and treatment with manual therapists and rehab specialists to perfect the treatment plan.

This way, I don't replace the PT, the chiropractor, the massage therapist, or other specialists - I complement them with additional diagnostic clarity, targeted interventions, and ongoing medical oversight. This is not a superficial collaboration. It is one where all provider voices are heard and brought into a useful confluence.

Respecting Scope and Expertise

Effective collaboration requires recognizing what each discipline does best. Chiropractors bring sophisticated manual skills and neurological insights. Physical therapists excel at movement retraining and functional restoration, and beyond that, education. Mental health counselors attend to the psychological trauma and provide useful insights that help with sleep quality, injury-related anxiety, and the hypersensitization that often accompanies physical injuries. Massage therapists provide myofascial release - the best also educate.

I cannot replicate all of these excellent skills sitting in my office. By contributing diagnostic precision through electrodiagnostics, targeted injection therapy when indicated, and medical management, I provide the missing piece. I never assume I can do your chiropractor's or PT's job better than they can.

Building Your Care Team

Whether you're a patient seeking coordination of care or a provider looking for collaborative medical insight, my practice is designed for that integration.

For Patients

If you're currently working with a physical therapist, chiropractor, or other medical provider, bring their contact information to your initial consultation. I want to understand their clinical findings and ensure my examination and treatment recommendations support their work. I also want to be sure what I do isn't simply duplicating somebody else's care.

For Referring Providers

I welcome referrals for further diagnostic clarity, treatments like EMG or nerve conduction study testing, second opinions on complex presentations, and co-management of challenging cases.

My goal is to provide insight that helps you deliver better care - not to pull patients from your practice or second-guess your approach. I'm available for direct phone consultation on complex cases and respond to provider communications within 24 hours.

Let's Work Together

Whether you're a patient seeking coordination of care or a provider interested in collaboration, I invite you to reach out. Recovery is always better when we're working as a team.

Start Collaborating