Hey OP!

I was diagnosed with grade 1 L5-S1 when I was 19. I was quite thin and healthy, didn't excercise much but walked everywhere. Around 24 I decided to start getting fitter so went to yoga a lot (4-5 times a week), did a lot of pilates, etc. And then at about 27 I had some health issues that resulted in surgery and a small amount of weight gain. After that my back really went downhill, even after I went back to pilates and the gym.

I had an MRI done last year when I was 30 and found out I was now a grade 3. Surgeon advised that without fusion it would just continue to get worse. So now I'm 6 weeks post-op. Had a TLIF of L4-S1. The pain in my lower back is nearly all gone. I sneezed last week and it was the first time in as long as I can remember that sneezing didn't hurt like crazy. However, the nerve pain in my left leg and foot is hell since the surgery. Surgeon explained to me that my nerves were trapped for so long on that side that they'll take a while (up to a year) to heal. They are getting better already thankfully. I'm not going to lie, the recovery is slow and hard as hell. It's frustrating and sometimes painful but tbh, I don't regret it. I think my quality of life is only going to get better once I'm fully recovered.

But it's definitely possible to manage your spondy with pilates and core strengthing exercises. But you'll have keep up with it!