unknown burning knee pain

[tlotaylor]

hi guys, im a 21 year old male who, 2.5years ago, dropped a 40-50kg generator from shoulder height, onto the top of my knee, which was in a 90 degree position (crouching) at the time. as soon as the generator hit my knee, it locked up, and i fell over (from a crouching postion) due to pain levels, within an hour it had swelled to the point where i couldnt see the outlining of my kneecap. for the past 2.5 years i've felt a constant burning (sometimes stabbing) pain which is mainly behind my knee cap, and at the top of the knee cap (where the thigh meets the knee), it also clicks and somedays feels very stiff. this pain fluctuates every day, and some days it will feel almost fine, some days i will be in agony, both of which sometimes stick around for months. excercise is STILL extremely difficult due to pain levels and my knee sometimes locking up. i am also unable to sleep with a blanket over my knee at night, otherwise it disturbs my sleep.  i have had about 3 mri scans, 1 ct scan, numerous xrays, and 1 ultrasound. i've seen upwards of 10 orth. specialsts, all of them had told me that nothing had shown up on the scans and that they didnt know what the problem was even though it had obvious swelling and discolouration. but a few doctors have said it may be a disease called crps (chronic regional pain syndrome). i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what else it could be, or whether anyone could tell me if it sounds like a meniscus tear.
any advice/tips/ANYTHING will be very appreciated. thanks

[tlotaylor]

apparently there's no structural damage, although it feels like there's sand in the joint when i bend it. but i will try to look into seeing an orthopedician.
thanks for your input, it's very appreciated

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. If the imaging studies (CT/ MRI) have been clear, structural injuries to the knee are practically ruled out and other issues such as mild inflammation, neurological issues etc. CRPS is another possibility that may need to be considered. You could try medications that would help control the pain along after consultation with your treating doctor along with physiotherapy to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint. If this does not seem to help, you may consider seeking a review with an orthopedician at a university/ teaching hospital.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!