I really need to make a note of where I posted this before....

I have severe osteoarthritis the whole length of my spine. Bone spurs, Degenerative Disk Disease, Spondylosis/damaged disks (bone on bone), Stenosis at the top (c5-c7) & bottom (l5/s1 w/ annular tear).

I chose against surgery for the same reasons most folks here advise against it (but before I ever found this place), and my spinal surgeon (at a major medical center) advised against it, as the risks of being the same/worse were greater than being better. Also, back surgery is the only surgery I know of that fails so often they have a name for it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failed_back_syndrome

I didn't like those odds. Since then some things have deteriorated, and some have healed naturally (as my doctor told me they would). I continue to do PT exercises, myofascial trigger point and deep tissue massage; TENS & traction when needed.

Doc