Hurt my leg, trying to figure out what is injured

bluestarlight19

I'll preface this with, yes I am going to see a doc (sports med doc), but the appointment isn't until the 13th. I couldn't get one sooner.

Back story: I didn't do much exercise last week after doing really well for the past 2 weeks because my 16 month old was teething and had an ear infection. So, I just went to work, came home did all my normal stuff. On wednesday, muscle in the side of my thigh near my knee started hurting. I couldn't think of anything I did that would have made it mad so thought maybe I slept wrong or something.
Thursday: My whole knee hurts in the morning, along with the side of my thigh. I try to do some light stretches, take some advil, kinda brush it off since I occasionally get random knee pain. Pain starts to spread below my knee later in the evening. I rub icy hot on it, helps a little, take more advil, go to sleep.
Friday: Knee still hurts but not as bad, below knee hurts now. I'm limping slightly now, it was a little painful to walk. I had to walk to my mothers work though for my ride home. Lower leg hurt when I got home, like almost everywhere. Used heating pad, icy hot, advil, took a warm shower then elavated my leg and rested.
Saturday: Pain shooting down my leg from below the knee and along my tibia. The knee itself seemed fine, side of thigh ached but not as bad. Somtimes seemed to wrap around in my calf somewhere as well. Heat and wrapping my leg made the pain unbearable. Walking set off pain. I couldn't lay my leg out straight without intense pain or elevate my leg unless it was slightly bent or laying to the side. If my leg was hanging off the side of a chair or bed, It felt immensely better. Took more advil, no better so went to the ER. 5 hours later, they shrug and say it seems like inflamation, give me crutches, a shot of anti-inflammatories (2 hours after they kicked in my leg felt 90% better, the relief was awesome), x-rays showed no breaks or anything. Reffered me to a doc.

The pain has gone down a lot but I still can't walk much on the leg without tibial pain building. Pain level seems to have not changed much over monday and today so far. Its fine If I don't use the leg, it hurts along the tibia but more toward the inside of my leg but still right along the tibia. I tried to do some light stretches last night because the muscles seemed tight after not using the leg all day. Doing any kind of quad stretch made intense pain flare in a band below my knee, I could stretch everything else without too much pain. But my knee doesn't hurt while walking, only near my tibia. I've had shin splints before in my younger days and this is way more painful and doesn't really feel like them.

I'm trying to figure out what is injured, more for my curiosity.