A new 3-D navigation system has been devised that could help surgeons carry out back surgery, it has been revealed.

The new device could help surgeons carrying out surgery to correct conditions causing severe back pain, KTLA.com reports.

In a feature on the new machinery, the news provider tracked the example of a patient with a slipped disc, who had screws inserted into her spine to realign it.

The difference the new 3-D technology made was to help avoid the screws being damaged or hitting a nerve.

People waiting for a back operation may find that using ultrasound at home helps them to ease the pain.

Earlier this month it was revealed that back pain had limited the engagements the Duchess of Cornwall was able to carry out on a trip to Poland with the Prince of Wales.

She had been due to take a helicopter flight to visit locations in the east of the country, but a trapped nerve made it too uncomfortable for her to sit in the aircraft.