Flare Ups and Knee Spasms - Is it Friday yet?

Flare ups suck. Yup I said it. It's kind of funny it takes me three days to figure out I'm in the middle of one but here it is nonetheless.
On Monday the knee was cranky and sore. Oh well, suck it up and move on, right? Tuesday was a bit more sore with some stabbing pain thrown in for extra fun (it sucked but okay, I can muscle through this). Yesterday I spent the day with my knee in spasms. Literally. I didn't get an hour of peace, the medial area of my knee looked like it had a heart beat. It was weird and then it got painful towards the end of the day, to the point my husband brought me an ice pack to dull it down (it helped by the way). I considered going into a walk in clinic but with my crazy schedule and the fact I was pretty sure there was nothing they would do, I didn't bother. I did tell my husband I would go to the clinic if the spasms continued into today.
Today - only light, sporadic spasms. Thank god. My leg feels like it's been through the wringer. My thigh feels swollen and stiff, as if I just finished the leg press workout of a lifetime (and that's coming from me-who's run 50ks). My calf is swollen and sore but not stiff. My knee is sore, especially where the spasms are happening, and in the spot I'm getting the MRI for. All in all, I wanted to spend the day in bed but I also need to make money, so here I am at work. Whining. Needless to say, I'm not running today. The weather is nasty anyhow, with heavy rain and wind. The arthritis side of my knee is stiff and sore, but I'm sure that's from the weather. These spasms though? I don't know where/why they're suddenly happening.
Google did give some suggestions (of course). Some seem more plausible than others but until I get an MRI I won't truly know what's going on in there. It could be anything from loose bits of cartilage floating around, banging into parts of my knee, causing it to spasm. It could be a nerve issue, a very localized nerve issue mind you, but still, that could be the problem. Or it could be the OA, somehow causing the opposite side of my knee to spasm.
Should I bother with a walk in clinic? I just don't have the time or energy to bother with my health care system any more. It's so out of touch with the reality of chronic conditions that it seems like an epic waste of time to even bother with (unless you have a broken bone or chest pain). So, no, I won't bother with the clinic, even as these spasms kick up again, until I can't put weight on this leg I'm not wasting more time with people who just look at my knee (no physical exams-they hardly ever happen!) and tell me there's nothing they can do. A witch doctor can give me such sage advice.