Popliteal strain?

[GrantP]

all great advice above. as always diff over the net but your physio sounds onto it and may have already checked these anyway. as mentioned does seem neural tension and if your physio is manip trained and if your spine is stiff, then a manip here to either lumbar spine or SIJ (if they are in fact dysfunctional - i have even had results from manip to the cervical spine, thoracic spine if they seem dysfunctional) may help. piriformis can also be involved as can hamstring and calf. also foot biomechanics/shoes/stability etc. can and likely to be complex and combination of a few factors, even get your bike set-up checked to ensure frame and cleats are correctly fitted etc. good luck

[violablue]

Usually popliteus trigger points are felt central or more often slightly medial to the posterior knee joint. Plantaris the same or slightly more central. Usually with lots of walking, running, skating type activities the popliteus can become involved. I've seen that often as a trigger for pain in the posterior knee. Hamstrings, yes. If your hamstring are tight, you can have pain referring into the back of your knee and into your calf.

As the other physios have mentioned, a lot of other issues can contribute, as well.

If you want to look more into trigger points as an issue check out:

Trigger Point and Referred Pain Guide

And most especially Trigger Point Therapy Workbook; Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief

The webpage doesn't get into the popliteus, but the reasonably priced book does so better than any I've seen to date.

Wishing you good fortunes with tracking down your problem.