Andrew! er Lefty, 
I am a fitness instructor. I had a recent scare so came right back over here, to my scoli pals. It seems I am one of the "lucky" ones and my disc degeneration is far above my fusion, so...I am told I am old.
Not really, they just said it's far above my fusion and would have happened anyway. Would it have? I don't know. How many times did I sit at the gosh darn computer or somewhere else and put up with pain, because I was trained to do so at an early age through brace etc.
aw, in "general" my spine is fused and the only thing I can not due is arch my back. I don't need to be a contortionist anyhow.
May I augment your joy? You say you like to workout but do you know all of your muscles, how they all work, why you do what you do, and so on? I feel a sense of control I never had before, a new understanding, like how to really contract my abs and which ones at one time, and to what purpose.
I became an instructor late in life, happenstance. I never dreamed of such a thing. Me, a fitness instructor, an inspiration to others, a "model" yada yada.
I am just saying all of this so you know exactly what I can not do: arch my spine, big deal, you think anyone has noticed? My brace and the times killed my dreams of being a gymnast anyway. Meanwhile, since you are working out like a fanatic, take your mind to your muscles and get more control over them, (not a solution to your immediate problem) ... and as you re-coop from surgery you can think about muscle AND bone and how they all work together. Empowerment rather than fear fear fear and the unknown.
My pain radiated from my neck in such a way that I could describe it, "Deltoids, trapazeius, .." Whelp seems there was a unhappy pinched nerve in my neck and those suckers have long reaching "tendrils" so... my shoulder ached etc. ached like a rotator cuff injury. Geez that was a scary 8 weeks.
Surgery is not to be taken lightly but Lefty, you 'iz a young man at 51. Also, I have said before, the many successful surgery folk, are necessarily here. I wasn't, until I got scared. I am not quite sure why I remain. I guess it's been healing and it's been very nice to meet so many unique people, who may also need some rah-rah'ing from time to time.
How long has your pain been going on? Mine took 8 weeks to resolve. I am told this is average but it was 8 weeks of [explective] fear and worry.
Traction at 13, body cast 1 mos., Milwaukee, first plastic (severe allergy, abdomen skin burst, watery) then leather. Harrington Rod @ 15, 9 mos body cast, hips up. 9 more mos being careful and protective. Degenerated disc C4-5 I think well above the rod. Degenerated disc below the rod now? Probably.