Get a second or even a third opinion before doing anything. See what the consensus is among the doctors.
Since your symptoms are not very serious I would delay any shots or surgery. See what alternate treatments first including some physical therapy.

When I had bad back pain I did the physical therapy first and it helped a little. I than went to the steroid shots every 10-12 months for 4 years. I had not ill effects from the shots and I got rid of the pain including the numbness in my legs and feet. I know some people do have some negative reactions.
Due to my spine getting worse I wanted surgery but I had to delay that because I caught cancer and the surgeon would not do the surgery. I went back to my pain med doctor and he suggest a treatment called Intracept. This heats the vein to stop sending pain signals to the brain. It is a bit more invasive but still can be done as out-patient. I scheduled this for the end of Jan.