Please read my other comment, as someone with actual first hand experience in hand injuries that result in the choice between restorative surgery or amputation.
You make that choice when deciding which way to go initially. It's not a painting that you can decide "ya know what, this isn't working out, let's go back to the other way we thought ". Once you go down the restorative surgery route, that's your route. And any pain you experience gets dealt with medically. Believe me, I've tried telling every doctor I know that the nerve pain I experience is to much to much to bear and to please go back and amputate instead, but at this point it's considered an elective amputation.
Just because he's explaining that a benefit of this choice is that he can play doesn't mean it was the complete reason for his choice