A neurosurgeon says there is a new procedure that has been shown to reduce back pain for patients suffering from spinal stenosis and is considered an alternative to spinal fusion surgery.

TOPS, which stands for Total Posterior Spine Surgery, is a high-tech operation.

"We are able to decompress the spine and stabilize the spine with something that moves rather than fuses the bones together. A small motion device that sits in between each of those screws and attaches to four points. It can bend, rotate backwards, side to side," says Dr. Joshua Marcus, a Nuvance Health neurosurgeon.

Clarence Shrack, who suffered from spinal stenosis, recently underwent TOPS surgery and became the first patient to have joint replacement spine surgery in Connecticut.

Shrack says the procedure has changed his life and he is now able to keep up with his dogs and renovate his home.

"I told the nurse right afterwards, I said it worked, the pain was completely gone. I can walk, I can jog. Now I've got a treadmill that I can actually use," says Shrack.