James Courtney says he will require an operation once a year to relieve pain as a result of injuries sustained in a freak accident at Sydney Motorsport Park last year.

The Holden Racing Team driver underwent an operation to burn nerve endings in his chest and back on the Gold Coast this week.

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 incident sidelined him for two months before making a triumphant return at the Gold Coast 600.

Courtney confirmed the procedure performed on the Gold Coast, which numbs the nerve endings, went without a hitch.

Doctors have recommended that Courtney undergo the same treatment every 12 months for the foreseeable future.

“There is a good break in the championship at this point so I dived in and got it done as soon as we could,” Courtney told Speedcafe.com.

“It is something that I have just got to keep on top of and do every 12 months.

“It was a two hour procedure. It was straight forward.

“I went in the afternoon and was out in the evening and I was just a bit tender for a couple days after.

“Depending on your body the doctors said that between eight and 12 months it (the pain) will start to come about again.

“It is a pain and something that I don’t really wish I have to do, but it is part of what goes on for me now.”

It has proved to be another challenging season for the 2010 Supercars champion on the track due to inconsistent car speed from his HRT Commodore.

However, the 36-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is confident progress is being made to push him back to the front.

Courtney finished 13th in Race 16 at Ipswich before a steering failure following contact with Rick Kelly saw him retire from the 200km heat on Sunday.

“We came away from the weekend upset that we didn’t have a result to show for the car speed we had,” added Courtney, who sits 10th in the championship standings.

“It was pretty encouraging the speed that we had on Sunday.

“I was running 11th at one point and racing a Triple Eight car which was an encouraging sign for us compared to what we have been dealing with in the past.

“Hopefully we can keep building on this coming up to the big pay day with the enduros.

“I would love a lot more car speed than what we have. It is proving to be a lot more work and it is not as easy to find.

“We are chipping away and making some progress but we are still a long way from the competitiveness and consistency of Triple Eight and Prodrive.

“It is frustrating but we are not giving up.”