Neck issues

As I started reading your note, I thought of Ankylosing Spondylitis but of course, I have no way of knowing. AS is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It may be something to ask your orthopedic surgeon to weigh in on. At the least, the surgeon may know who to see in your area to consult on the neck issue........................ rick

Like Rick, I thought of AS, too.
What part of the neck are you referring to? Front? Back? Side? Voice?
Several years ago I went through an episode of coughing and gagging.....it lasted for weeks. Everyone was dumbfounded. Finally an ENT specialist suggested that I may have cricoarytenoid arthritis. The cricoarytenoids are a pair of small joints in the back wall of the larynx (voice box) that help open, close, and tighten the vocal cords during speech and breathing. These joints take their name from structures they lie between: the cricoid and arytenoid cartilages.

Cricoarytenoid arthritis (CA) is a typical feature of rheumatoid synovitis. The symptoms include hoarseness, a sense of pharyngeal fullness in the throat when speaking and swallowing, pain in the ears and dyspnea. Infection of the upper respiratory tract may occur and tracheostomy may be required.

In rheumatoid arthritis involving the larynx, treatment options depend on the chronicity of the disease. In general, acute cricoarytenoid (CA) rheumatoid arthritis is treated medically with anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications (with or without systemic steroid therapy). Adjunctive vocal rest, local heat, and humidification may prove helpful. Periarticular local steroid injections have helped in ameliorating acute joint dysfunction.

Hi . So sorry you are having these neck issues. Your concerns are certainly understandable. I can't personally speak to these problems, but several of our contributors have experienced and written about neck problems. Andrew wrote about RA and neck problems here: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/ra-can-real-pain-neck. Kat has had neck surgeries and wrote about her issues here: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/big-pain-neck (note: she also has a series of videos on dealing with surgery). Our contributor Kelly wrote here about dealing with neck pain and the creaky sounds: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/creepy-creaking-neck. Note: quite a few of our contributors have also had joint replacements, so if after your consult you have questions please feel free to ask. Wishing you the best. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

I have RA in my neck - apparently the cervical vertebrae are the only part of the spine that can get RA. Stiffness and pain at the base of my skull that radiates into my head.