Do "squeezes" Help, If You Have Back Pain? ...or M

Hi guys! I'd so appreciate any advice.

I have some pain in the back, that concerns me a lot.

It has been sort of a 'nuisance' and a worry for a long while..., but now, it's getting to be quite a bit more painful!!

I guess the big questions are:
stretching. does stretching help? Does it make it worse given that I have lower back pain now ....(obviously, I am listening closely to my body when I stretch). ....(on stretching, my doctor confused. He said along the lines of "don't start 'muscling', ab-wise, until you lose the pain by stretching." but what if the pain doesn't go away by stretching??? Do you start 'muscling'?...

pelvic floor muscle exercises: does the squeezing help? I do 4 squeezes.. The 'holding the toilet', 'belly button down', 'on your 2 sides' spinal ones. Plus, I do them riding, standing. I try to do them a lot now, especially in the last few days. are the pelvic floors the key to unlocking this pain. I have a feeling these exercises might be. I will keep going for a few weeks. I hope to experience a change. I already experience significant relief from these different exercises, but it doesn't last for too too long.

Sorry for blabbering. Any advice would be extremely appreciated. And apologies obviously for repetition of stuff done. Thank you. This site is fantastic.

-----------------------------------------a bit about me ;)
the problem: I think it is 1 very slightly prodruding disc or something like that. It is particularly related to the left side of that lower back area (apparently, one of the conditions of this particular disc problem).

the pain: sometimes, I should say, I feel fanastic. This morning, on my bike, I was feeling on top of the world) but: much of the time, I feel that damn pain. (now, more often than before, and more intense>) I feel the pain, particular lower left back there... When I sit down, stand up, walk sometimes, ride sometimes, ...Do anything just about.

the remedy: (well, I have tried a few things. Some things have seemingly helped in the past, like stretching and certainly all the 'squeezing' exercises. I had let it go a bit in the last month or two... And now, it's not good at all. ) about the remedy: .... First there are many many big questions. Part of what's stressing me out is the not knowing the answers to these. :)