My MRI showed a herniated disc and an epidural of steroids briefly helped but I also had an undiagnosed case of Ulcerative Colitis that was actually the real problem (I think). Anyway, the pain is real and profoundly debilitating but, despite occam’s razor, it is possible that a herniated disc is a red herring and the underlying problem is something else. In my case, managing the colitis solved 90% of the pain, etc. If pt and gabapentin and steroids aren’t helping, spur your doctor to consider investigating non-spinal culprits before submitting to the knife.