When I couldn't walk three blocks, I knew it was time for surgery. I'd been through the PT, the shots -- all the conservative stuff. With XLIF I spared my back muscles from being cut open. I'm pain-free, unless I do something stupid. BUT, because of the XLIF, I do have a little nerve damage. There's a patch on my thigh with no surface feeling and sometimes a deeper pain, like a seriously pulled muscle. Would I do it again? Yes. But it's not risk-free.