Leg stretches

Let's start with a warning: your legs can be exquisitely and surprisingly tender. Go easy, start lighter. Don't go over pain level 6 on a scale between 0 and 10, preferably stay well below that. 

You can massage your legs with your forearms. Rest the fleshy part of your forearm on the front of your thigh and relax. Perhaps try another spot. Or move your ankle. Alternatively you can slowly move your forearm towards your knee. Don't go over your knee. Or you can move across the muscle, in this case the quads. Imagine you are giving your quads a stretch sideways. You can go from the inside out, or the outside in. This will feel different depending on your direction. You can also use your forearm to go across the muscles on the outside or inside of your thigh.

You can use a tennis ball on on your inner thighs for trigger point work. Trigger points are these exquisitely tender and knotted spots in our muscles, sometimes the pain radiates out. When you find a trigger point in a muscle hold it for about 12 seconds with a pain level no more that 6 on a scale from 0 to 10. You can do this anywhere, inner or outer thighs, front and back of your legs by lying or or leaning into the tennis ball. I would recommend using a very soft surface (like your bed) if you use a tennis ball on your thighs or the outside of your legs. Leaning onto a wall works well as you can graduate the pressure, as long as you don't mind damage to the wall from the ball.

METs

A very effective body work technique is Muscle Energy Technique, or MET. That name does not tell you much. The essence of this technique is that you use (engage) the muscle in question a little, with about 10% of your strength. At the same time you are resisting that movement. You hold for about 10 seconds, rest, and repeat once or twice. The MET in this image is loosening the quads and the hips flexor. In the image I am trying to lift up my thigh which is resisted by my hand. You can be much more relaxed than I am in this picture.

Straighten your legs until you feel a stretch in the back of your legs. Rest, breathe, let your shoulders ease towards the floor/bed. Allow the back of your body to lengthen, don't let your lower back arch. After a little while you may be comfortable to straighten your legs a little more. Again, rest and breathe. Repeat. The next stage is moving your feet and ankles, for best effect nice and slow. You can start with big movements of your toes, get them moving. Then involve your whole foot, scrunch it up and stretch your toes towards your nose. You may feel all this in the back of your legs, do these movements until they feel easy(ish). Now involve your ankles - big circles both directions. Last in this section, pull your feet and toes towards you, in other words,  flex your ankle. You will really feel this in the back of your legs, but it will ease. You can use a towel or an exercise band to make the stretch more intensive.

There are many other ways of stretching your hamstrings. If you choose the touching your toes option, be it standing or sitting, be mindful of your lower back and keep your knees unlocked.

There are also lots of ways of stretching your quads.

Here are a few. Stand tall with your lower back in "neutral". Throughout, don't arch your lower back, even though it might be tempting. Do both sides.

Stand on one foot, with your leg unlocked. Have something to hold onto for balance. Get hold of the ankle of the leg to be stretched. Pull your heel towards your bottom until you feel a strong stretch in the front of your thigh. Keep your pelvis straight. Hold. To increase the stretch, rotate your pelvis forward. You can do this stretch lying on your side, stretch the upper leg. You can use a rolled up towel or band if you can't reach.