It just depends on what's driving the pain. Some things can only be resolved by surgery. Unfortunately, surgeons generally will advise that surgery is the only thing that will work in cases where that is not true. So always take what a surgeon says with a large grain of salt. If you decide to go with surgery, the best way to figure out which surgeon to choose is to talk to PTs in the area. They see which docs have good outcomes and which ones don't.
In Houston, I've heard the following are good for spine issues. No personal experience with either:
Dr. Matthew Wasserman, UT Physicians orthopedics, cares for adult patients in the Greater Houston area.
www.utphysicians.com
Dr. Paul Boone