Hi Dricher, Good luck with your upcomming ACDF surgery. I am 43, and not as active as I should be. I have other issues as well...LOL. I did PT before my surgery, that just aggrovated my condition. I will be going to PT after 4 weeks, I am 3 weeks postop now. I also went to the chiropractor a few times a week before my surgery, this did help with the arm pain. I did this conventional treatment for 9 months with little improvement. This is why my doc suggested doing the surgery. I can happily say that I am glad I had it done. I am in some pain now, but it is so much better than it was before the surgery. When I woke up in recovery, the arm pain was GONE. I am in a soft cervical collar for 6 weeks, no driving yet. I do still have some weakness in the arm, as well as numbness in 3 fingers. I do hope this goes away with some PT. I only had one level done, and my doc told me the recovery should be around 8 weeks or so. Just make sure you listen to all the restrictions, and don't do too much too fast. I did this a few times, and was in some extreme pain afterwords !!! The only place I can get comfortable is in my recliner. You will need plenty of rest after your surgery. Also make sure your doc gives you meds that control your pain as well as a muscle relaxer, and maybe even sleeping pills. All of these meds really help you heal better. Take care, Karen