Inflamed muscles or something else?

[Rucude]

I did a fairly strenuous hillclimb (cycling) 3 days ago. I noticed yesterday that my left inside upper leg was a little red and the muscles a little tender. The red patch is now sort of covering the whole inside of my leg and it is definitely a bit swolen. The area is also sometimes warm to the touch. No other muscles are sore, only the ones directly under the red area. Could this be an inflamed muscle or do I start looking at for something like a skin condition?

[Suri123]

Hi Rucude, how are you doing? Hope you might be feeling little better by now? Has the redness and tenderness come down by now? Did you see your doctor to get it examined and to rule out any infections? Hope your muscle ache might have settled with the pain medicines and the local heat. It is still better to be on rest for couple of days and observe if feeling better or else see your doctor if it is worsening. Take care.  

[marissposa]

As far as I know redness due to muscles  only happens with serious injuries and not the mild tenderness you are describing.    If the condition persists you might should see a doctor,  I think even if you can't see a bugbite, you still might have gotten one, or have brushed up against something that you are having an allergic reaction too

[Suri123]

Hi Rucude, how are you doing? Hope you are feeling better now? Sudden exertion put on the muscle like jumping; stretching too hard and cycling for long time can cause muscle-contracting strain resulting in a tear or minor bleeding. Icing the sore muscle initially is helpful. Take, over the counter pain medication and muscle relaxant for couple of days. Keep observing for swelling, redness and consult an orthopedic doctor if it persists to get checked up. Drink lot of water and take rest. Do update on your progress. Take care.

[Rucude]

I've checked for bug bites and can't see any. I also live in Australia and as far as I know Lyme disease does not occur on my side of the world.

[jdesouza]

Did you get a bug bite? Look carefully for one because you want to make sure you were not exposed to lyme disease. This is especially important if the redness is spreading.
Could something have been rubbing against your leg and caused it? I'm wondering because it is curious that your other leg is not sore at all.
Hope it feels better.