Hi Fireman,

Dude. No offense, but who're you kidding? If you've got kids, that ain't gonna happen. You'll never choose the time; it'll choose you if/when the damage becomes so bad you no longer have any choice. The concern then may be, should you have done it sooner because things have gotten so much worse? This may be academic; has surgery even been recommended to you yet?

I'm not saying any of that will happen; I sincerely hope it doesn't, but being a guy, I know how many of us have a tendancy to put things off as long... TOO long.

core strengthening exercises for back pain
(Check for videos as well)

Pro: You get better than you are now

Con: You stay the same or get worse than you are now

But seriously, the pros are easy. Personally, aside from all the usual complications of spinal surgery, I see 4 potential cons, but since every case is unique, it's impossible to say much more.

1. failed back (surgery) syndrome (FBS) — back surgery is the only surgery I know of that fails so often they actually have a name for it.
   
   
2. adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) — when the vertabrae above & below the surgery weaken & fail, requiring further fusion/stabilization (i.e. more surgery down the road)
   
   
3. arachnoiditis — this may be the worst
   
   
4. corrosion of spinal implants — the one nobody seems to be talking about much...

Metal Corrosion in the Human Body: The Ultimate Bio-Corrosion Scenario

And if surgery has been suggested/recommended, PLEASE get multiple opinions.

Doc