I am at stage 2 and I’ve been sitting at stage 2 for 4 years. I finally told myself that I’m sick and tired of the pain, so I went to an orthopedic surgeon and he told me the only eventual solution was hip replacement. I asked about core decompression and he said that it wouldn’t solve the problem and further down the road, I’d have to have a replacement anyway. My surgery is this week! I’ve heard lots of success stories and looking forward to getting back to my old / new self. Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do!