NORFOLK, Neb. — A new procedure looks to provide relief to patients with back pain and provide a same-day release for patients who undergo the treatment.

The new surgery targets and deadens nerves that are responsible for lower back pain in patients.

Pain Management Dr. Ihsan Balkaya at Faith Regional Health Services is the one performing the procedures.

“This new procedure gives us liberty to be able to access the center of the bone and burn the nerve right in the center,” Balkaya said.

The procedure takes around 30 minutes and an incision that does not require a stitch is made.

From there, a metal straw gives access to the bone.

A probe allows doctors to burn the nerve in the center to relieve patients from back-pain.

“Once it’s completed, you just take everything out and the patient gets discharged to home the same day,” Balkaya said.

Balkaya said anyone with disc problems will benefit most from the procedure. He said patients will experience pain for a few weeks but says patients will feel relief afterwards.

After the procedure, patients are able to leave and head back to everyday life as earlier as the next day, which allows for many people to go through the surgery. The surgery is a one-and-done procedure and has a success rate around 75 percent.

As of now, Balkaya said the first set of patients at Norfolk who have undergone the operation have not had complications.

The operation is the first of its kind for the northeastern part of the state.