Severe undiagnosed pain syndrome on both calves
I am acquainted with a 25 years old male, who was a professional soccer player most of his life. At the age of 18, on the year of 2013, he was enlisted in a special combat unit in the Israeli military and, as expected, was put through a continuous strain during the first year of training. About 10 months following his recruitment a pain began to develop in both of his calves. At first the pain seemed to mimic shin-splints. He could not recall any trauma or accident in his past (except of several ankle sprains that occurred during his soccer career). With time, the pain seemed to spread backwards to the posterior soft tissue region. It has increased until he could not bear any weight nor perform his duties as a combat soldier. He started seeing multiple physicians without receiving any diagnosis, as all orthopedic, neurologic and vascular diagnostic tests came out negative. The first diagnosis provided to him by an orthopedic physician during his army service was "Myofascial Pain Syndrome"…
After being released from the army, performing all diagnostic tests possible and trying every possible remedy available (physiotherapy, soft tissue massage, basic strength training and psychological treatment) the situation did not improve significantly. Before approximately 8 months, he was persuaded to perform a mesotherapy session via injection to his calves, claiming that it can do no harm. He feared the procedure, intuitively feeling that it was not right for him, yet went through it anyway. Following the procedure, the pain got so bad he could not stand on his feet at all. He was hospitalized for a while and was released without any actual improvement. He's been using crutches ever since and is unable to bear more than several pounds with his legs for more than several minutes. He continues to train in the gym, doing the best he can (upper body and some lower body exercises) as long as the pain is bearable. Nevertheless, no concrete diagnosis has ever been made. The last test undertaken was small nerve biopsy, and as of yet there are no results. Thus far, no treatment has helped significantly, and currently the only thing that relieves the pain is marijuana.
I am sharing this case information on this forum in the hopes that someone has maybe witnessed a similar case, and may be able to "throw me a bone", or shed some light as to the options available in helping this guy. Thanks in advance!