all in all, it does sound like a meniscal sort of injury. A meniscus can be pinched causing pain for days. Along with the patella and plica, it can cause a popping, particularly with a deep squat combined with rotation. Tests for MMT have been validated in the literature by pressing along the medial joint line. The test with high specificity for the outside is the Thessaley test.

Can't help much with the referral aspect as we do things differently across the water. Good luck