CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Novant Health begins conducting a breakthrough surgery that treats tremors caused by Parkinson's or essential tremor disorder without making an incision.

Larry Hicks, 79, has battled essential tremor disorder for over 30 years.

It's a nervous system disorder that causes shaking when Hicks tries to do things like pick up a cup of coffee or brush his teeth.

Fortunately, this all changed after Hicks received the MR-guided focused ultrasound, which is a new non-invasive treatment that uses sound wave energy to target and disrupt the cells driving the tremor. The results are also immediate.

“Once I saw it myself, it was more emotional than I thought it would be because I didn't think I'd be able to hold my hand up and not shake. I thought it would be like this for the rest of my life,” Hicks emphasizes.

Novant Health is the only hospital system in the Southeast to conduct this procedure.

Right now, this treatment can only be done to one side of the body at a time.

Novant Health's Dr. Charles Munyon says they're constantly researching new ways to possibly use this treatment for both sides of the body at one time, and to use it to treat other disorders that cause tremors.