To say that back and neck pain are common would be a mild understatement. In fact, 80% of the population in the United States experiences problems with back pain at some point in their lives and it’s one of the leading causes of missed work days. While there are any...
Consider this: around 80% of US adults deal with some form of lower back pain at some time, and 20% of people who have an acute problem in their lower back go on to develop chronic pain. Taking a broader view, disability due to back pain worldwide has grown by...
It starts slowly and you begin to feel tingling, or nothing at all, in your hands. Or, you wake up one day and have trouble moving around because of shooting pain down one of your legs. These issues are collectively known as radiculopathy and the problem often starts in your...
The human body is an incredibly complex structure in which everything is somehow connected, whether through your bones or muscles or through networks like your nervous system. Thanks to this integration, problems in one area can lead to symptoms in another, which is certainly true of your neck and arms....
Your spine plays many roles in terms of support and mobility, but it also provides passage for your peripheral nervous system, which can be made abundantly clear when one of the nerves is compromised. Also called a pinched nerve, which describes the problem perfectly, this occurrence can lead to debilitating...
Adolescence is an extraordinarily tumultuous time as a child’s mental and physical health undergo significant changes. Even the slightest deviation from a typical developmental path can lead to self-esteem problems, which is especially true of scoliosis. Here at Texas Spine Consultants, Dr. Michael Ware Hennessy and our team understand the...
When you’re hobbled by leg pain, the world becomes exponentially harder to navigate and even the simplest task becomes an exercise in frustration. To regain your pain-free mobility, the first step is to identify the cause of your leg pain, and there are any number of conditions that can lead...
Neck pain can be extremely debilitating — not only does the discomfort cause problems, you can lose range of motion, which affects everything from how you see to how you sleep. In many cases, neck pain is caused by degenerative disc disease, which is a problem that gets worse, rarely...
Your spine is the primary channel for your nervous system, which means a problem anywhere along its length can lead to pain that radiates out into your extremities. Called cervical radiculopathy, this problem occurs when a nerve in your neck is compromised, which can lead to symptoms that are both...
The discomfort that accompanies a problematic disc is one that you’ll not soon forget. Whether the problem is in your neck or your lower back, the pain can radiate down into your arms or legs, depending upon the location of the troublesome disc, making movement difficult. At Texas Spine Consultants,...
Consider that your spine is the foundational structure of your entire body, and much of this enormous workload falls to one small area — your lower back. This area of your back is not only responsible for much of your body’s support and mobility, it also provides a wide range...
As the primary conduit for your nervous system, your spine has nerve roots that branch out along its entire length. When you pinch one of these nerve roots, you can experience a wide range of symptoms, which are divided into different radiculopathies that are distinguished by their location. At Texas...
Americans are no strangers to lower back pain as 80% of adults report having some experience with the problem during their lives. More alarming is the fact that 20% of those who have acute lower back pain go on to struggle with chronic lower back pain. To avoid becoming part...
Think about the seven small vertebrae that make up your cervical spine and the enormous workload they’re under — they not only carry the weight of your head, they also provide your head with critical range of motion. Over time, your neck may begin to succumb to the aging process...
Americans are hardly strangers to lower back pain — in fact, 80% of the population reports having some experience with pain in their lower backs at some point in their lives. While lower back pain can develop for a number of different reasons, a herniated disc certainly ranks among the...
No doubt about it, your legs endure a lot of stress throughout your life, leading to a general wear and tear that may result in pain. However, not all sources of leg pain are caused by issues related to the joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, or cartilage that make up your...
Pins and needles sensations in your hands and feet may cause you to worry and wonder what’s going on. Although sometimes this can simply be caused by a lack of circulation due to pressure or cold temperatures, it could be a sign of a more significant nerve disorder. A proper...
If you have degenerative disc disease, you know how awful it can feel and how desperate you can get when all you want is relief from the pain. This is a common experience for Americans — one study showed that one-third of adults ages 40-59 have evidence of degenerative disc...
An injury that affects your shoulders, arms, wrists, or hands can interfere greatly with your daily routine. When the injury is obvious, such as a fractured wrist, treatment focuses on reducing your pain, healing the injury, and getting you moving again. What do you do, though, when there is no...
Scoliosis causes an abnormal curvature of the spine. It’s extremely common, affecting an estimated 2%-3% of the US population. While most people who have mild scoliosis find that it doesn’t interfere with their lives, some children aren’t so lucky. At Texas Spine Consultants, Dr. Michael Hennessy provides early diagnosis and...
If you’ve pulled a muscle in your leg or have a sprain or a strain, you know exactly why you hurt. But often, leg pain doesn’t present an obvious source, and you may limp along without getting it treated. Many times, the source can be traced to your back. When...
If you’re like most, you spend a significant amount of time hunched over a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Often, the time spent using technology can result in neck pain, referred to as tech neck. Tech neck is the pain or stiffness that occurs when your neck is bent forward for...
Unexplained physical pain in your arms and legs can develop into one of the biggest barriers to living an active life. Many of Dr. Michael Hennessy’s patients at Texas Spine Consultants in Addison and Plano, Texas, have a herniated disc. This common and painful condition results when pressure on the...
Chronic neck and back pain not only affects your physical health, but your mental and emotional health too, leaving you feeling defeated and desperate for any treatment that provides a glimmer of hope. Although injection therapy may seem like the solution you’ve been seeking, we here at Texas Spine Consultants...
About 80% of adult Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives. For a lucky few, these incidents are isolated and short. For others, it’s a lifelong relationship with pain management. In rare cases, there’s a physical problem about which you can do nothing. For the majority, however,...
Scoliosis can sound like a frightening diagnosis, but it’s much more common than you may realize, and usually doesn’t cause additional health problems. Here at Texas Spine Consultants in Addison and Plano, Michael Ware Hennessy, MD, is a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon who specializes in diagnosing and managing scoliosis for...
Pain can be a useful tool that your body uses to indicate something’s gone wrong. Chronic pain, however, can outlast its usefulness and greatly interfere with the way you live your life. The goal for treating chronic pain includes identifying the source of the pain and providing relief from your...
