c5/c6 herniation causing pinched nerve, shoulder weakness

Hoping to find any success stories dealing with neck/trap/shoulder nerve pain due to cervical spine disk herniation. I've gotten MRIs on both my shoulders and neck, and there's nothing structurally wrong with my shoulder, and the persistent neck pain is being caused by herniated disks in the c5/c6 area. I also notice that the affected shoulder (left) is slightly weaker/unstable on external exercises, but not by much. Treatments attempted without success have been stretching, physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, 2-week rests, even stoppage of surfing. Since the pain started, I've made significant changes in addressing my posture and stretch/perform PT daily. I'm slated to get a cortisone/steroid injection in 2 weeks.

Looking for any advice from people who have had similar problems. I'm hoping to avoid back surgery for at least a few more years.

Steroid injections are the only solution for me,  relief usually comes ~1week after injection. Expect to be weak still, take time to ramp back up. 

Also, symptoms will probably return. The length of time between shots for me keeps getting longer. Started at every few months, now 1x a year. 

I expect to get an artificial disc within the next 5-10 years.