Courtney undergoes further surgery

James Courtney has undergone more surgery on the injuries he sustained at Sydney Motorsport Park last year ahead of his return to the venue.

The 2010 Supercars champion has confirmed to AAP Sport that he had nerve endings in his chest and back burnt by a surgeon on the Gold Coast today.

Courtney suffered five broken ribs and a punctured lung in Sydney last August when struck by pit equipment disturbed by a low-flying Navy helicopter.

The injuries sidelined the Holden Racing Team star for two months before making a stunning winning return at the Castrol Edge Gold Coast 600.

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Courtney says that he’ll likely need to have the nerve surgery on a regular basis in order to deal with the pain.

“They burn the nerve and that kills it so you don’t feel the pain,” Courtney told AAP of the surgery.

“It makes the area numb until it (the nerve) grows back.

“It hasn’t been ultra-pleasant,” he added of dealing with the injury.

“It’s just something I’ve got to deal with now … they did it before Gold Coast last year and they were hoping that it would be fine but just the severity of it and the way it’s all happened, it’s probably going to be like this forever.”

Courtney sits 10th in the Supercars Championship ahead of the next event at Sydney Motorsport Park on August 26-28.