Ok, saw my NS today, I really do like him, fwiw. Long story short, he does not recommend surgery at this time, and I was glad to hear him say that. We will try neck strengthening and attempt to get a traction device (not over the door, something else, need to check on insurance coverage). He mentioned injections but says he himself is not a huge fan of them, he'd rather work on the actual mechanics of the problem.

He was also very impressed with how good his old handiwork still looks He did my fusion/discectomy 8 years ago. Something I found interesting/hadn't heard before, he said that if I do eventually need surgery, he would plan on removing the plate at the current fusion as I "no longer need it" and fuse the bad area above it.

I haven't been doing much physical activity lately and my neck has been doing pretty well. Things flare up pretty quickly when I sit at the comp, even my leg starts tingling, so maybe that's just the PN kicking in, I don't know. But I do want to try biking again soon, taking it easy, cross your fingers my neck doesn't get angry b/c I really need to get my butt back into shape.