Hello @faye_13, I understand what is vexing your man with his mysterious back pain. I had my own mystery for about the same time -- five months of severe discomfort and limited activity; MRIs and X-rays; and a range of procedures intended to pin point the cause. No soap. I had just reached the point of choosing pain killers, when I called a halt because 1) my physical therapists had messed me up big time by stretching my spine on a rack and 2) my pain doctor was too enthused about the prospect of "fixing" my problem with medications without knowing what my problem was. My primary care physician listened when I told her my research had found that the cure for inflammation of the sacroiliac joints is a direct injection of anti-inflammation medication into the SI joint; if the pain stopped, the diagnosis (after the fact) was SI joint inflammation. The injection ended the inflammation, and I have had no pain since then -- now 3 years ago. Since then, my bowling average has risen to just over 180 per game.

I tell you this to give you hope that you can share with him, not to give you an answer to his perhaps unique problem, which may indeed be a mystery. But I also note that you list chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists as the professionals who have been involved. The diagnosis may be within the purview of other medical professionals -- physicians, osteopaths, spinal surgeons, internal medicine specialists, neurologists, nephrologists, etc. Have any of these been consulted or offered diagnosis or treatment? Has he had a long conversation with a professional about the limitations on imaging as a diagnostic technology -- such as the inability of even MRIs to "see" joint inflammation? I hope he has opportunities to exhaust the full range of medical diagnostic possibilities before he turns to medicated pain killers or alternative healthcare, which may be his next path toward recovery.