You can have both going on at the same time. 12 years ago, when I was 38, I had two ruptured discs, with some fragments pressing on the sciatic nerve, it reached a point within two months that I couldn't walk at ll, my left leg was useless. A simple laminectomy corrected that instantly. Meanwhile I had numbness in my toes on both feet which continued to progress. I did develop the stiffness and pain that you describe, and I was diagnosed with hereditary neuropathy, or CMT. The stiffness is the hardest thing to deal with, and it has progressed. Especially since your mom had it, I think it is likely that you do as well.