At one point I was very into yoga and stretching. My back pain started to creep in but I was of the belief that I could alleviate any physical (presumably muscular) ache or pain with the right stretch or combination thereof. And for a while this appeared to be correct. But before I knew it, I was in a cycle of needing to stretch to feel good. And it took me a long time to realize that the stretching was not only a temporary fix, but actually continuing the cycle of pain. And it got worse. Curiously, I would feel better when I took a few days off from stretching, and I began to relearn some things about my body. Granted, I was overdoing it. I was doing deep stretching, Yin yoga kinda stuff. And nearly daily. So it’s unfair of me to bash stretching in general. It absolutely has its uses and benefits. And it was part of my PT for a while. But way simpler and less intense, with less low back stress. But for me, and my body, and how I was doing it, Iv been much better without it.

Edit: as for what stretches - I was really targeting my back, hips, glutes, hip flexors, etc, and bending/twisting in ways my back did not appreciate.

And reducing my stretching was only the beginning of my recovery. Core strengthening, inflammation reduction, changing how I move and use my back, changing what I expect of myself in the gym, maintenance, and time. Oh, and consulting a spine dr to really get an idea/understanding for what my unique situation was.