Originally Posted by Joe Lerch
JSCOTT and THEBIGSPENDER have it right. Stropping before a shave pushes the microserrations back together to make the edge look narrower (sharper). It does not sharpen the edge, although a lot of stropping may smooth down the scratch lines. Professor Verhoeven's experiments found that leather stropping after honing did not affect sharpness.
You didn't describe enough to tell what you're doing, but lifting the spine can only damage the edge, although the small amount you do probably won't hurt, but I don't understand how it could make a difference in how often you hone. Normal stropping does not dull the edge. When stropping does not totally restore sharpness, refresh the edge. This can avoid honing indefinitely.