I had disc replacement as well as fusion, since C5-6 is likely in next few years. I got lucky because C-spine is much easier to operate than lumbar. They go in

I had disc replacement as well as fusion, since C5-6 is likely in next few years. I got lucky because C-spine is much easier to operate than lumbar. They go in from front (neck) and do not need to touch the spinal cord. For lumbar, they have to. One cool thing I learned about is the existence of IONM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intraoperative_neurophysiological_monitoring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intraoperative_neurophysiologi... I felt pretty comfortable knowing that things would flash red and beep if anyone got close to my spine during the surgery. Close friend of mine with multiple lumbar herniations swears by stretching regimen like frequent yoga. Maybe that can help in the meantime. Good luck!