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
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.
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
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.
Artistic representation for illustrative purposes only
Learn more about our services

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:
- Arm Pain
- Arm Numbness
- Back Pain
- Carpal Tunnel
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Facet Arthritis
- Herniated Discs
- Leg Pain
- Neck Pain
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Scoliosis and Spinal Deformity
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spinal Tumors
- Spondylolisthesis
- Weakness

In addition to strokes, we diagnose and treat a variety of conditions that include:
- Aneurysms
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Carotid Artery Stenosis
- Moyamoya Disease

Common conditions we treat include:
- Arm Pain and Numbness
- Leg Pain
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Degenerative Disc Disease Numbness
- Facet Arthritis Weakness
We provide treatments such as:
- Facet Injections
- Pain Pumps
- Facet Rhizotomy
- Spinal Cord Stimulators
- Epidural Steroid Injections

We provide expert care, advanced diagnostics, and personalized treatment plans for conditions such as:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Memory disorders
- Migraines
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Movement Disorders
- Neuropathy
- Seizures and Epilepsy

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

- 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

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

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.
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Neurosurgery & Spine CareStroke & Aneurysm TreatmentInterventional Pain managementNeurologyNeuropsychologyPhysical TherapyImaging and DiagnosticsOutpatient Surgery CenterNeurosurgery & Spine Care 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:- Arm Pain
- Arm Numbness
- Back Pain
- Carpal Tunnel
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Facet Arthritis
- Herniated Discs
- Leg Pain
- Neck Pain
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Scoliosis and Spinal Deformity
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spinal Tumors
- Spondylolisthesis
- Weakness
Stroke & Aneurysm Treatment 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
Interventional Pain management 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:- Arm Pain and Numbness
- Leg Pain
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Degenerative Disc Disease Numbness
- Facet Arthritis Weakness
We provide treatments such as:
- Facet Injections
- Pain Pumps
- Facet Rhizotomy
- Spinal Cord Stimulators
- Epidural Steroid Injections
Neurology 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:- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Memory disorders
- Migraines
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Movement Disorders
- Neuropathy
- Seizures and Epilepsy
Neuropsychology 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
Physical Therapy 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
Imaging and Diagnostics 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
Outpatient Surgery Center 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.Please get in touch. We’re here to help you live a pain-free life again.
Make an Appointment TodayWe 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 LeadershipOur 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 FoundationCentral 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.
© 2025 Semmes Murphey