45 year old dad here. 2 nights ago. I was at a dinner and I find myself taking to someone who is sitting down as I was standing up. So, instead of being a normal person and sitting down with them, I proceeded to squat like a catcher as I was talking with her.

I stood up about 10 minutes later to realize my left knee was a little bit sore. It felt as though my knee ligaments were stretched out a bit, but there was no pain. I forgot about this until the next morning when I awoke to a little soreness. Again, I had no worries until I squatted down to pickup something on the floor for my son. I heard a crunch and intense pain. A minute later, the pain subsided and I went to a breakfast event. Over the next 2 hours, the pain progressively got worse....until the point where I went home and could get no relief in any position.

The pain was intense right behind the knee and deep as well. The pain would radiate down my calf and to the top of my foot. It would also radiate up my hamstring as well. I hopped in the car and headed to the ER. When I got there, I exited my car and the pain briefly subsided. This scared me and made me think that I could possibly have a blood clot instead of a knee issue. I am a heart patient, so that is why I thought of that.

In the ER, they decided to give me a vascular ultrasound which only shows soft tissues...veins, arteries etc. at this point at the ER, my pain was soreness that would radiate to the areas stated above. The pain was not sharp. It was dull and would intensify from a 3-8. I have a high pain tolerence.

The ultrasound came back as normal...which was great. However, I left the ER with steroids, pain meds, and a referral to an Orthopedic Dr. I didn't get an x-ray or CT. I also have a referral to top notch specialist in downtown Chicago.

So, until I am able to see him, I am stuck at home standing up basically. I can't sit or lay down as the pain grts worse...back of the knee, calf and top of foot. So, I can't sleep standing up.lol.

I'm hoping and expert or member can tell me what this sounds like. And, should I wait days (probably) to see the Dr. or press an ER to give me a CT or MRI...which I probably need anyways? As of now, I am just standing (and sitting when I can) in considerable pain. I am taking steroids for the mild swelling, vicdin for the pain(does nothing) and icing on occasion. Help please and thanks for reading!

Sorry to hear you are hurting.  I have had both back and knee problems, and what you describe sounds a lot like back, especially the issue with sittiing and pain down the back of the leg.  Try to ice the lower back 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes as well as the knee.  That way you are covered for both. You said that the pain goes up the hamstring, does it go into the buttocks as well?  There iis a muscle there, the piriformis that if irritated can put pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause pain all the way down the leg.  It can vary, and if you are standing just right and tighten your core you can sometimes get relief for a few minutes.  The squatting you described could have gotten it sore.

When is your appointment with the OS?  If I were you I wouldn't push for any imaging since your OS will have preferred views of xrays and MRIs.  Glad to hear you got steroids.  That will be helpful for a back injury as well as a knee problem.  I would also touch base with your GP to keep them informed.  They can also keep you on steroids if needed until you see the OS.

You might also want to consider seeing a chiropractor.  If you have never seen one, ask friends for recommendations.  Some are all hands-on and do fantastic work to alleviate back pain, and some just want to do xrays, sell you supplements, and keep you coming back forever.  My chiropractor has been a godsend.  I trashed a disk over 20 years ago and after 6 months of PT I was out of pain, but over the years an occasional visit to my chiropractor has gotten me back when my back has flared and spasmed.  When he massages and re-aligns my spine the difference is immediate.   He has also helped enormously with my arthritic feet which lock on occasion and my bad ankles and knees.

Good luck, and hopefully this will be a short term problem with an easy solution.

Linda