Thanks, everyone, for all your support... I did talk to the person in charge of the PT clinic and he was very concerned that the therapists working with me the past two days were pushing so hard. He mentioned that because my muscles/tendons are so tight (a natural reflex when in pain), that the stretching is more difficult than it should be. I should continue the stretches, but at my own pace, and stop if it hurts too much to continue/if I feel like I have to force myself. That came as such a relief, because the first stretch they have me do each day (a simple hamstring stretch!) is the most painful of all. I'll phone the doctor when he opens tomorrow, but until then no word from him.

Melalvai, the throbbing/burning in my leg ended after two or three hours. I was also concerned about blood clots, but I've been doing everything I can to avoid them. It seems like the pain came from stretching too far during the hamstring stretches, since it went away like any usual stretching soreness. The tendons/muscles connected to my spine are far too tight, so when I go to do these stretches, I often can't even straighten my leg out all the way. It doesn't hurt my leg.... just my back, and quite a lot! It might be that in trying to continue stretching, I pulled something in one of my legs. I wouldn't put that past it, since during the stretches I was definitely feeling muscles/tendons/whatever they are move how they shouldn't.

After two days of recovery from PT, I can say that my mobility has increased quite a lot, even though it's still fairly painful (nothing like Friday though!). The pain seems to have localized to a smaller area (lower back to tailbone, rather than mid-back to tailbone), which I'm ever grateful for. Bending/reaching is still a major issue, but I can do it now with only some major discomfort instead of excruciating pain. I wonder if that's because the stretching/EST/massage has loosened me up, or if it's because I'm not stretching and my body is recovering?