Welcome to Whole Spine Care™. Only from Semmes Murphey.

It’s time to be whole again.

Spine problems can be big or small, complicated or simple. They often stop you from doing the things that make your life happy and complete.

And they can lead to unexpected symptoms, such as tingling and numbness in your hands, legs, or feet, shooting pains in your arms or legs, or a loss of strength and stability.

What might also be a surprise is that most of the spine problems we treat don’t require surgery.

In fact, just one in ten of our patients need surgical treatment. We think of surgery as the last option, not the first option.

We’ll work with you and guide you through a full range of choices as we help you along your journey to be pain-free.

Whole Spine Care™. The right approach is the whole approach.

We look after the health and healing of your spine in its entirety. This includes caring for both the physical frame of your spine (the musculoskeletal structure) as well as the spinal cord and nerves (the neurological system).

To make sure we care for your spine completely and correctly, we offer the widest choice of diagnostic and treatment options available in Greater Memphis. Because most of our patients do not require surgery, we provide a full range of proven alternative approaches that include physical therapy, dry needling, and advanced interventional pain management. Our specialists use the latest, most effective techniques and technologies to identify and relieve pain at its source.

For patients who do require surgery, we specialize in minimally invasive treatment options including endoscopic and microtubular spine surgery (which we invented), that help with faster healing times. And in those instances when a more extensive surgical approach is required, you can be confident that our world-class surgical teams, together with the most up-to-date technology, will provide the best outcome for you.

Back pain is not the only sign of a spine problem.

The reality is that many symptoms of a spine problem do not include back pain. You may have a spine issue if you experience:

—Pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in your arms, hands, legs, or feet
—Trouble standing, balancing, or walking

Our teams work with your entire Whole Spine system to help them work at their best, individually and together.

Interact with dots on the diagram, or use the arrows below, to explore an area of focus and learn more.

The Whole Spine System

Whole Spine Care includes three systems of your body: the Nervous System, the Skeletal System, and the Muscular System.

Each of these is a complete and complex system—and they are connected together in the way they work and function. Which means that pain symptoms can be related to one or more of them in ways that might—or might not—be direct and identifiable.

Our teams work with your entire Whole Spine system to help them work at their best, individually and together.

Neck

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain shooting into your arms
Neck pain
Headaches
Pain in the shoulders
Difficulty looking back over a shoulder

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Pinched nerves
Skeletal: Worn-out discs, narrowed spine space
Muscular: Weakness in neck muscles causing stiffness and spasms

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check movement and nerve function
MRI or X-ray
Therapy, medicine, or injections
Surgery if necessary

Upper Back

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Tightness
Unsteadiness
Shooting pain along ribs
Shoulder pain when turning head

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Nerve compression
Skeletal: Spinal joint issues, poor posture
Muscular: Tight chest and weak back muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check movement and nerve function
MRI or X-ray
Therapy, medicine, or injections
Surgery if necessary

Middle Back

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Stiffness
Hurts to twist or bend

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Nerve compression
Skeletal: Disc issues, spine curvature (scoliosis)
Muscular: Muscle tightness or strain

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check posture and spine movement
MRI or X-ray
Therapy, posture changes, or braces
Surgery if necessary

Arms

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Weakness
Numbness
Tingling
Shooting pain
Sensation of lightning or fire
Trouble lifting things
Arm pain when turning head

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Pinched nerve
Skeletal: Worn-out discs
Muscular: Weak or tight shoulder muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check strength and feeling in the arms
MRI and/or nerve test
Physical therapy, medicines
Surgery if necessary

Hands

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Tingling
Numbness
Weakness, trouble holding things
Difficulty buttoning a shirt, fastening jewelry clasp, or holding a pen
Worsening of handwriting
Trouble opening a bottle

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Nerves in the neck, arms, or wrist being squeezed
Skeletal: Changes in spine bones
Muscular: Weak hand muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Test hand strength and nerves
MRI and/or nerve test
Physical therapy, medicines
Hand brace

Lower Back

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Sharp pain instead of a dull ache
Pain standing, but not bending over
Difficulty moving
Trouble standing up straight

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Pinched nerves
Skeletal: Worn-out discs, arthritis, malalignment or spinal instability
Muscular: Weak or tight lower back muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check spine condition and movement
X-ray or MRI
Physical therapy, medicines, injections
Surgery if necessary

Hips

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain in the hips
Pain in the lower back
Difficulty moving legs

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Lower back nerves
Skeletal: Hip joint issues, worn-out spine discs
Muscular: Weak hip muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check walking and movement
X-ray or MRI
Physical therapy, medicines, injections
Surgery if necessary

Legs

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Weakness
Pain
Unsteadiness in legs (falls)
Numbness
Shakiness
Difficulty standing
Trouble walking

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Nerve compression
Skeletal: Spine or hip joint problems
Muscular: Weak leg muscles causing imbalance

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check walking and movement
MRI and/or nerve test
Physical therapy, medicines, injections
Surgery if necessary

Feet

Common symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Numbness
Tingling
Burning
Difficulty walking

How the Whole Spine might be involved:

Nervous: Nerve damage
Skeletal: Spinal changes pressing on nerves
Muscular: Weak foot muscles

Potential diagnosis and treatment pathways:

Check walking and movement
MRI and/or nerve test
Physical therapy, medicines, injections
Surgery if necessary

Common neck symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain shooting into your arms
Neck pain
Headaches
Pain in the shoulders
Difficulty looking back over a shoulder

Common upper back symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Tightness
Unsteadiness
Shooting pain along ribs
Shoulder pain when turning head

Common middle back symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Stiffness
Hurts to twist or bend

Common arm symptoms related to spine problems:

Weakness
Numbness
Tingling
Shooting pain
Sensation of lightning or fire
Trouble lifting things
Arm pain when turning head

Common hand symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Tingling
Numbness
Weakness, trouble holding things
Difficulty buttoning a shirt, fastening jewelry clasp, or holding a pen
Worsening of handwriting
Trouble opening a bottle

Common lower back symptoms related to spine problems:

Sharp pain instead of a dull ache
Pain standing, but not bending over
Difficulty moving
Trouble standing up straight

Common hip symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain in the hips
Pain in the lower back
Difficulty moving legs

Common leg symptoms related to spine problems:

Weakness
Pain
Unsteadiness in legs (falls)
Numbness
Shakiness
Difficulty standing
Trouble walking

Common feet symptoms related to spine problems:

Pain
Numbness
Tingling
Burning
Difficulty walking

Full Body

Artistic representation for illustrative purposes only

Learn more about our services

Neurosurgery and spine care have been our focus since our founding in 1912, and we are recognized across the country as a leader in these fields. Our legacy in neurosurgery informs our unique perspective about spine care, which we call Whole Spine Care™. This approach considers the neurological and musculoskeletal systems as an integrated whole.

We think about surgical treatment only after all other options have been exhausted; just 1 in 10 of our spine patients requires surgery.

Conditions that we treat include:

Our neurovascular team is recognized nationally as a leader in the research and delivery of life-saving interventions for acute stroke conditions. We are dedicated to improving the lives of and care for stroke victims, including general education and awareness of the devastating effect of strokes.

In addition to strokes, we diagnose and treat a variety of conditions that include:

Aneurysms
Arteriovenous Malformations
Carotid Artery Stenosis
Moyamoya Disease

A key focus for our care providers is to alleviate as much pain as possible for our patients. The goal is to provide the care required to actually get better and heal—and manage pain during the process. To provide lasting solutions and restore full function, we focus on the whole person; brain, spine, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

Common conditions we treat include:

We provide treatments such as:

Facet Injections
Pain Pumps
Facet Rhizotomy
Spinal Cord Stimulators
Epidural Steroid Injections

Our neurology team specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system.

We provide expert care, advanced diagnostics, and personalized treatment plans for conditions such as:

Based on understanding brain function through the systematic analysis of brain/behavior relationships, neuropsychology is a specialty within clinical psychology. Our team provides assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for a full range of neurologic, medical, neurodevelopment, and psychiatric conditions, including:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Brain Aneurysms
Concussions
Parkinson’s Disease
Seizures and Epilepsy
Stroke
Tourette Syndrome

A vitally important part of healing and rehabilitation, our team delivers individualized care based on the traditional, biomechanical model combined with modern, evidence-based pain science. Early intervention, along with patient education, can significantly improve and quicken the return path to a normal lifestyle. Conditions that we treat include:

Balance and Mobility Issues
Chronic Back Pain
Herniated Discs
Muscle Strains and Sprains
Neck Pain
Pinched Nerves
Poor Posture-Related Pain
Post-Surgery Rehabilitation (for spine procedures)
Sciatica
Spinal Stenosis

Our radiologists, physiatrists, and technicians are able to provide comprehensive imaging right here in our Memphis clinic. We have state-of-the-art technology for:

Computerized Tomography (CAT Scan or CT)
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Electromyography (EMG)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Nerve Conduction Study (NCS)
Ultrasound
X-ray

Our ambulatory surgery center is a proven leader in Greater Memphis. We have supported more than 25,000 surgeries and 85,000 epidural injections since 2002 in our state-of-the-art facility. Each patient receives one-on-one support from a dedicated medical professional to make sure they are fully informed and expertly cared for from check-in through discharge.

The compassionate, seamless experience we provide, along with a legacy of excellence, has earned the U.S. News & World Report Best Ambulatory Surgery Center for Orthopedics & Spine award in 2024 and 2025, recognizing us as part of the top tier of surgery centers across the country.

Learn more about our services

We know that when a patient is in pain or facing a serious health issue, it is our responsibility to not only provide the best and most appropriate treatments but to do so with respect, care, and convenience. Only through the intersection of all of our services and resources can we find a path to Whole Spine Care.

Please get in touch. We’re here to help you live a pain-free life again.

Make an Appointment Today

We would love to help you get on the path to a pain-free life. Simply fill out this quick form and we will contact you to get things moving.

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Patient-centered care for pain-free living.

Whole Spine Care is the way we keep you at the center of all that we do.

It helps us create an environment where you are heard, supported, and empowered throughout your spine care journey.

It informs the way we design your entire experience, from initial consultation to recovery and aftercare.

It guides our methodical and personalized approach to the full range of treatment options so that your care is exactly right for you.

And it makes sure that you can again live a healthy and pain-free life.

Proven since 1912.

We have been focused on spine care since our founding in 1912, constantly developing treatments that are faster and better, and deliver complete, lasting outcomes.

These singular activities—unique to Semmes Murphey—make sure that the care we provide to you is thoughtful, thorough, and proven.

Find out more by visiting Semmes-Murphey.com

Our Expertise and Leadership

Our expertise and leadership in spine care research and innovation has been recognized numerous times throughout our history.

For example, our work in minimally-invasive techniques and devices during the last thirty years has resulted in more than 180 patents and other innovations. These include disc regeneration, microtubular spine surgery, image-guided spinal surgery, robotics, and spinal biomechanics.

Together, these efforts and successes propel the field of neurosurgical care—and pave the way for continued advancements.

Semmes Murphey Foundation

Central to these efforts is the Semmes Murphey Foundation, which is dedicated to the advancement of spine and brain care through research, education, and innovation.

Our commitment to research goes beyond our clinic, driving global advancements in minimally invasive techniques, surgical robotics, and regenerative medicine. By analyzing data and pioneering new approaches, we continually raise the standard of neurological care worldwide.

Meet our world-class team.

To learn more about our health care providers please follow this link.

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