Everyone has their pain thresholds. Many take bone health supplements. I do as do my OA friends. I ended up with Spinal Stenosis after hip replacement and went thru a lot of acupuncture and PT for the stenosis and learned exercises I do daily for it. At a point I could not sit for 5 minutes and I was in crying pain. Acupuncture and the PT really helped. I can now sit for a long time, but it's good to get up and move anyway. I use ice and heat also and wear a back support for more stability.

My MRI's read L4 and L5 issues but I manage it all. Can't speak about the stimulator but it's not something I would want and I'm not interested in back surgery. So I manage but we all decide what we will do.

Hopefully others will have their thoughts for you. Surgery is surgery and we take our chances.