PLaying tennis I suddenly felt like I had a burning irritation on the back of my thigh. I scratched it and kept on, thinking it was a bug bite. A few minutes later I scratched again and looked down to see a bump. When i looked closer it looked blue and long about an inch or two and it looked like a vein. I stopped immediately and elevated it and put cold water on it. I thought at first it was a small tear in my calf because I tore that same calf 13 years ago. I am 45, new to tennis but good at sports so maybe after a big injury and a lack of strenuous sports since I pushed too hard. It is no longer sticking out, but is a bit bruised and painful to touch. I no longer think it is a muscle tear because I do not feel pain raising or pointing my foot and remembering last time those movements were painful for my torn muscle. I only have pain when something touches that specific area where the vein was sticking out, or when the skin is stretched or compressed in that area but only on the surface. It feels like a very bad bruise, and it seems at the moment there is a bump still under the skin. Is there such a thing as a bruised or pulled vein, or can a varicose vein appear due to exercise? or could this be a clot? thank you