I just wanted to talk about this and see what you think.
It first started out as neck pain–I think–actually the pain was like a knife stabbing me next to my right shoulder blade. If I don’t move my neck for a few minutes, the stiffness is a reminder of the constant stiffness I had before Enbrel, but it only takes a few seconds to loosen it up again. That all started earlier this summer, so it’s been going on for almost four months now.
The pain has changed and now it’s pretty much constant in my upper back between both shoulder blades…I’m starting to think it’s more than my neck, but something wrong in my upper spine also.
I can’t have MRIs anymore because of my stent. I did request a referral to a certain physical therapist who I’m hoping can help.
Other than icing it, which only helps during the time I’m icing 
I use acetaminophen and Excedrin for pain (my stomach doesn’t like much else) which also don’t do much good.
I think I’ll ask for an x-ray of my neck/upper back…if there’s something wrong with the vertebrae, could it show up on x-ray?
Hi Grandma J, sorry to hear about the neck and back pain, no fun 
.
An X-ray would likely show significant changes, though when they X-ray the spine of the general population, a really large proportion have significant changes without pain… so unless there are actually vertebral fractures, or ankylosis (fusion of the vertebrae), it’s really hard to tell (with just an X-ray) if the changes are actually related to the pain.
I had a sore neck on and off for over 12 months, culminating in a flare for about 3 months. On really bad days when I had to work physically, I ended up using steroids. They worked, so that was my first clue it was probably ‘just’ inflammation.
Then just as I was about at my wits end, I woke up one morning and it was gone! I really hope that happens for you soon too 
Any chance you could have osteo in the upper vertebrae? Any trama to that area. I ask because you symptoms sound like some I had when osteo developed at C1,2,3 after some car wrecks. I fought it for several years because they couldn’t see anything on x-rays. I can’t have MRI’s either. They finally had to do a mylogram (they suck) to see the bone spurs. It was bone spurs and the surgery to remove them was bad, but it fixed the problem (for 6 to 10 years they say).
Thanks, Jen…usually if I have pain like this it lasts a couple months and goes away. That’s why I waited longer; I kept thinking it would go away. It was coming and going every day–I never really knew why the pain would stop and start. By now it’s steady and more intense–at times, so intense it makes me feel sick. It makes me feel weak when it gets bad. I’m just hoping p.t. and massage will help.
Hi tamac…yes, I’m pretty sure I had a whiplash on my 40th birthday. It was due to a fall off a tube being pulled behind my brother’s boat going really fast. I was fine for two days after the fall and the third day was when the pain started and lasted for several months. I never doctored for that at the time, thinking there was nothing they could do about whiplash, anyway. I did have some neck therapy quite some time afterwards, though…but that’s why, I’m sure, my neck has bothered me off and on–not the therapy–the boating “incident”.
I did have an MRI of my neck a few years ago and there was some degeneration and bulging discs and probably osteo too which I had some p.t. for and it was good for awhile. I don’t think there were any bone spurs.
We all know how these things come and go…it’s so nice when they go!!!
I just noticed this discussion and I wanted to mention that the pain I was having in my neck and next to my shoulder blade was from taking the statin, Crestor! I know this because I had gone to p.t. a few times and it wasn’t doing any good. I had worse than ever pain in my feet and legs, too, and mild depression. My internal med doc took me off Crestor and the pain in my neck went completely away.
Just a FYI in case anybody else is on a statin–they can cause some weird and serious SEs!
Awesome to hear that stopping that statin has really made a difference for you!! Thanks for the update!!!