Hear you about laying on the ground doing repairs. Not something I want to do often at this point in my life.

In answer to your questions - One does not need a spring compressor to do the job. Most of the work is up top. Remove the carpet and remove the bolt holding in the strut. The fiddly part is the hydraulic connector and related lines. Hopefully they are not rusty.

The bottom is 2 large bolts and drop the strut out. I had my wagon on ramps iirc.

I gambled on a used strut and lost. Got to do it again with a new one. Won't do that again.