My wife, a DVM (DACVR Candidate), is sitting here reading this crap and laughing her ass off.
We personally know of 3 people who have been told by their surgeons to seek treatment by physical therapist and pain specialist to help manage their symptoms until it's unbearable and then pursue surgery, as a last resort.
Aside, she see's a large percentage of older dogs that have spondylosis deformans incidentally on radiographs.