Wiz, my husband has had two back surgeries, one in 2008 which was minimally invasive, the other in 2015 which was more extensive.

He has 2 titanium clips at L3-4 and L4-5. Both of those surgeries were done on an emergency basis. He lost his mobility (he needed a mobility aid but even so he could hardly walk). If not for each of those surgeries he had a very real possibility of being paralyzed. He had leg weakness, foot drop, numbness, pins and needles, as well as the mobility problems.

His dad had multiple back surgeries. The possible outcome scared both of us. Both surgeries went quite well. With the titanium clips he has lost some of his range of motion for his back, but not enough to slow him down He has been demolitioning a secondary bedroom (removing carpet, repairing walls, replacing a door, painting). Monday he starts installing the hardwood floor for that room.

He had quite a bit of back pain before his first surgery and that improved alot over time. The second time he had no pain what so ever and was shocked the symptoms were due to his back. He is not pain free but oh so much better than before the surgeries.

So far I'm not a candidate for surgery, but if it were an emergency situation I wouldn't hesitate. I'm glad his surgery has helped him. It sounds like he's doing great now!