What Causes Chronic Pain In Back And Neck With Shooting Pain Down The Arm?

My good friend was seriously injured at work - has a neck plate and damaged disc in lower back - documented. Obvious worker s comp case. This happened in 1991. All these years he never settled with them for a lump sum because he opted to receive continued medical care and prescriptions. For the last several years he was seeing a pain mgmt. doctor who was prescribing him Vicodin, Celebrex, and libroderm patches. The employer s risk mgmt. department had a panel of retired doctors review his case, and it was decided that he didn t need any of the medication any longer. Needless to say he had become dependent on the drugs. He spent 3 mos in agony going through unmonitored withdrawals and now has all the drugs out of his system; however, he is left with the problem of the pain. Chronic neck and back pain with frequent shooting pain down his right arm. The doctor who was prescribing the meds refuses to see him anymore, we are assuming because he has no solution other than the meds which are no longer covered under the worker s comp insurance. Worker s comp case worker told him to find a new doctor . Any suggestions?