Ex-sportsman tells how medication ended 23-year ordeal caused by basketball injury

It's like being electrocuted from the inside out.

- BY JILLY BEATTIE

"I have Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), and of course that leads to chronic sleep deprivation, which leads to extreme fatigue and low energy.

"I've also suffered depression and anxiety associated with long-term pain and the loss of my independence."

David told how a bid to beat his pain left him dependent on the drugs he needed to function.

He said: "Doctors discussed surgery but the risks were too high so I was treated with opioids, nerve pain medication and spinal injections but nothing brought lasting relief.

"Morphine was the only thing that touched the pain, but it made me like a zombie. I was just existing, not living."