Coagulopathy presenting as calf pain in a racquetball player

Most cases of lower leg pain in athletes result from musculoskeletal injury. Occasionally these patients do not respond to treatment in a timely fashion. This should alert the clinician to rethink the original diagnosis and consider more unusual causes of leg pain. Deep venous thrombosis must be considered in a young athletic person experiencing unexplained persistent calf pain after exercise. Further investigation may be necessary to rule out a hereditary or acquired hypercoagulable state.