All I know is that surgery is the LAST option you want to consider when trying to treat arthritis. It is invasive and can exacerbate arthritis...as far as my experience has taught me. What type of surgery are you considering?

I had this surgery three years ago. I was surprised at how easy it was. They go in through the front of your neck, and the incision is only two inches long. There is no pain, except for a sore throat the first day. It is usually done as an out patient, but I had to stay over night because of a fever. I was up the next day, but took it easy for three days. My headaches went away, and I would do it all over again, if need be. Only two things to worry about. 1) Have only two disc replaced. The third one brings the chances of an infection up quit a bit, and it could damage the vocal cords. 2) Check out you doctor to see if he has had a lot of patients who got infections. Some doctors just seem to have that problem, and you don't want an infection in your cervical spine. God bless you.