CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla - According to the American Chiropractic Association, more than 80% of Americans suffer from back pain.

Back injuries are the most frequent reason for missing work next to the common cold. Now a local surgeon is performing a new operation that gives patients the ability to reduce that pain.

47-year-old Tammy Roth has suffered from lower back pain for the past 15 years. Roth had trouble walking, sitting and sleeping.

"I never get a full night's sleep, maybe four hours at most," says Roth.

That's why Tammy decided to see Dr. Samuel Hess at the new Fawcett Memorial Hospital Spinal Center in Port Charlotte.

"When you experience chronic pain or pain for a long time you're not even the same person any longer," says Dr. Hess.

Dr. Hess and his partner are the only surgeons performing a new non-invasive spinal procedure between Tampa and Naples.

"In this case she had tried injections, physical therapy and medications," says Dr. Hess. "This has been so long standing for her."

In the operating room, Dr. Hess only cut an inch-long incision into the bottom of the spinal cord to literally remove Tammy's degenerative disc. It is no longer cushioning the nerves around her spinal cord like it should. Dr. Hess then inserts screws to open up the disk space and inserts some bone substitute. The spine will fuse together, ending Tammy's pain.

Just seven weeks after the surgery Tammy says she is back pain free. She's able to walk without her cane and is even exercising.

"To have gone through this seven weeks later, I mean come on," says Roth. "[The surgery] was the best thing in the world for me."