Most likely work. I worked around heavy equipment and as a manager I was one that believed in leading by example. I could do every job the guys I supervised could, and would mentor a lot of them. I have Disc Degenerative Disease and scoliosis also. When L4, L5, S1 went out I was weed eating at home. Of course it wasn't the weed eating that caused it, just the activity I was doing at the time it decided to finish blowing out. That was 2008. MRI showed I had no disc left. Neck was the same way in 2003, docs asked if I was a skydiver and involved in an accident(joking of course, a good friend of mine). C3-C7 disc were obliterated. Some things are out of our control so we just make do the best we can.
Once you have a fusion it puts additional stress on the non fused disc above and or below the fused area. In my case I'm fused as far as you can go on each end so the stress gets put on the thoracic area which doesn't move much and the upper lumbar disc L1 and L2.