@mcnairh
I had PLIF surgery August 27th of this year. I have had sciatica and hip bursitis off and on for about 20 years. I am a 67 female. I work out faithfully and have 5 young grandchildren that keep me hopping! Long story short, after 3 months of PT for bursitis in my hip, to no avail, my PT recommended that I see an orthopedic surgeon and get my hip worked up. After MRI and xrays, my hip was fine! He (Orthopedic surgeon) said I believe this is coming from your back. MRI showed an L3 spondylothesis and severe stenosis from L3 down. (It was completely clamped off due to a herniated disc.)
I was told by 3 different surgeons that this was a severe case and that if I didnt have surgery, I would be left with severe nerve damage. After interviewing 3 different doctors, we settled on a superb neurosurgeon. I am 4 months post op and my recovery is going well. I no longer have nerve pain BUT the weakness that I had before in my left leg is still there and doctors and PT are telling me that my recovery will be much longer because the nerve damage had been happening for years. I would never advise anyone to rush into this type of surgery without solid evidence, but just be aware if your symptoms have been happening for awhile, heed those warnings signs. Had I have had the benefit of knowing how bad my back was, structurally, I would have done this much earlier. You can look up PLIF surgery on the web.
Blessings on your decision.