A Woman With Right Calf Pain

Abstract

An otherwise healthy 47-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a sudden-onset sharp pain in her right calf, noted while going down the stairs. She noted a popping sensation, followed by progressive cramping pain in the back of her leg. The physical examination showed no focal gap on the Achilles tendon. However, swelling and tenderness on the medial aspect of the calf region were noted (Figure 1). A point-of-care ultrasound revealed fluid accumulation between the muscle plane of the medial gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (Figure 2) and a grossly normal muscle belly.