@rjjacobsen
You do sound like you are doing a lot of good things. I just had surgery 8/2/2024 on L3-L5 due to severe spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and neurogenic claudication. I am 55. Having congenitally narrow spinal canal made this all happen for me earlier than many. My desk job sitting for 10-12 hours a day made it worse.

I decided to do surgery after it got really bad and spinal injections stopped working (had them for 3 years). PT would not help get my discs/osteoarthritis off my spinal cord/nerve roots. It was hard to walk, stand or sit for long without numbness, weakness and pain. I have noticed an improvement in my symptoms where I no longer have the numbness and weakness from the compression on my spinal cord. The pain from surgery has gotten much better. It is a 3 month recovery so I will know if my pain is fully resolved by then.

It is good you are not lifting heavy things and you want to be careful not to fall/twist or do anything with spinal force impact (like jogging or running/jumping). Keeping weight at a healthy level is also helpful (I need to work on losing weight to relieve more pressure on my spine). A diet that supports bone and nerve health is also good.

Another suggestion is to use pillows between knees and under legs when sleeping on your side/back so you don’t twist your back or out extra strain. Sit with a lumbar support pillow (chair/car seat). Salonpas lidocaine nerve pain patches helped me, too. When standing for periods of time, it is good to prop one leg/foot in a low stool to support your back. Stretching for you back, hips and legs helps relieve tightness in your back.