Swollen calf muscle - bakers cyst / DVT

You've got to rule out DVT, so Doc doing right thing.

How soon since the swelling? There is a blood test to assess clotting. Mrs TiRed has similar in her arm from a DVT with about 10-15% swelling compared to other limb. When I had the same I went to get the D-diner test to rule this out. Hers was a DVT mine was not.

Always err on the side of caution with a suspected DVT and insist on a scan. Do not rely on a negative blood test. My GP did and I went on to develop a PE. Fortunately I survived to tell the tale. Your GP did right to put you on blood "thinners". I've not suffered any bad side effects from them.

The DVT is not a problem until a lump breaks away and blood thinners shouldn't a problem at the sort of dose I've had. YMMV
Mine turned out to be confined to a superficial vein, but it was a good one at 6" and not considered medically serious until much bigger!
Wash your feet, wear clean undies and clean socks because your trousers and sock will be coming off for the scan 🙂

If it's a suspected DVT then take it very seriously indeed. I developed one when my leg was in a full plaster for 3 months. I had a clot from ankle to groin and had to stay resting in hospital until it all got broken down. Fortunately, none broke off and got stuck where it shouldn't. The morning I was told I could get out of bed and subject to a clear blood test would be able to go home, I took myself up to the hospital canteen and had a fry-up breakfast - including a big piece of black pudding, which I later thought might show up on the blood test.
25 years later everything is still fine but I have to wear a compression calf-length stocking most days. Last time at Bike Park Wales I didn't wear the stocking and my knee protector strap was a bit tight. My leg swelled up like an elephant's leg, but after a bit of massage it soon went down again.

Wrong location for a baker's cyst, no? Also not sure about the mechanism of injury, baker's cysts are normally associated with degenerative injuries like osteoarthritis. Although, to be fair, DVT doesn't really fit the MOI either but the risks are so high it needs to be ruled out, hence the scan you've been referred for and the prophylactic blood thinners

Have you had a long period of inactivity recently?

We don’t use d-dimer any more where I work. Sounds like you’ve been plugged into the right pathway to exclude a dvt. I have known them happen or seen to happen after trauma. (Never know if it was there before the injury).
You could plug your numbers in here to work out your wells score- doc may have already done this- our dvt nurses insist…
https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/362/wells-criteria-dvt

Hi All

Thanks for replies - i think i overheard doctor saying well value of 1 when he was booking in scan

Full history of my dodgy leg is

noticed a my first bulgy varicose vain on left leg on right side of calf at start of year

1/9/22 - got up from working in office walked down stairs and then had really intense pain in the front of my calf - so bad i was crawling around floor rather than putting weight on it , took a few advil and had a hot bath and it was then ok - didnt bother contacting dr's

Flew out to Colorado for a 3 week MTB trip on 11/9/22

12/9/22 Did a ridiculous hard 26 mile mtb ride at Breckenridge at over 12,000 feet wheeler / miner trail to peaks trail - loads of hike a bike on this ride - leg not hurting

13/9/22 rode a bunch of trails in breck - leg not hurting

14/9/22 rode trails at brunevista, then headed over to hartmans rocks did a night ride and managed to crash hard onto my left knee while riding the ridge trail, knee pads saved my knee from getting cut up but had a a load of little red marks where pad had saved me, also load of scratch's down low on front of calf - leg feat sore so i took some advil - and it was better after that, had to take another during night

15/9/22 rode 26 miles at hartmans rocks - had to take an advil midway through ride to stop pain in front of leg

That evening had to do the same when i woke up with pain in leg, then pretty much for every other day of the holiday i was knocking back an advil before staring a ride, during and before bed to cancel out pain in front of leg

got some epic rides in though in durango, cortez, Moab, Fruita, Grand jucntion , Vail

Probably didnt help that i rode every day solid on the 3 week trip  - and the advil masked whatever was going on with my leg

when i got home on 3/10/22 i got a bad cold so didnt ride for over week, no more advil and leg seemed ok

but then after a few rides my calf started to get rock hard and started to hurt at the rear rather than at the front, carried on ignoring it thinking it would get better on own, but on 22/10/22 i noticed my  left leg had now swollen up,and toes dont feel right - hence finally decided it was time to get it checked out.....

Im hoping it is a ruptured bakers cyst., as looking at the web a raptured cyst can cause swelling., might find out tmr

Bugger !!! Blood clot in leg , blood thinners for next 3 months and no riding....

That sucks

Have you had covid in last few months by any chance? I read that there is increasing evidence of clotting months after even mild covid cases

Which is worrying

Blood clot in leg , blood thinners for next 3 months and no riding….

I had a sizeable DVT earlier this year and was given blood thinners (30mg rivaroxaban every day for 3 months, now 10mg per day). I was riding again within two weeks once the pain and swelling calmed down. Nurses and doctors told me it was fine to ride as long as I wore a helmet and was confident of avoiding any crashes.