@gently
When I said he's conservative about treatment I meant that he does not jump to surgery and if he does recommend surgery, he does just what he feels is necessary. Therefore, since the levels above and below L4-5 were fine when he did the fusion of L4-5, he chose not to fuse either of those levels. Another surgeon who I went to wanted to do 3-4 levels of fusion all at once. So, the disadvantage of doing just one level is that there's more chances that I'll need to have another surgery. So, I am second-guessing myself and my decision to go with my current neurosurgeon. If he recommends surgery this time, I will seek a second opinion from a spine surgeon at Mass General Hospital.