[annapurna]

Deemzee,

Congrat's on wanting to do all you can with healthy eating and exercise before you jump into surgery. If it's possible to achieve/maintain the functionality you want indefinitely without surgery by all means do so. If, on the other hand, surgery is inevitable, please be aware that waiting can compromise your chances for the best surgical outcome. Had I waited too long to address my cervical DDD and cord compression, I would have ended up with a double-level fusion instead of two ADR's. Worse yet, my pain and balance issues might not have resolved.

It's a bit of a balancing act. You don't want to "jump the gun" and get surgery prematurely, but you also don't want to "put it off as long as possible" for no reason other than delay.

I'm sure you're also aware of problems that come from prolonged cord compression, so, factor those into your decision too.

All that being said, even the remote possibility for surgery makes proper diet, sleep, oral hygiene, and other things to eliminate latent infections or systemic weakness super important.

Good Luck!
Laura