I with ya not only do I get the same pain but, I get bad stiffness too.

I have been having a lot of this recently. I did some tedious craft work for my part time job and have had the pain and stiffness and even some headaches since then.

Hmmmm.... I was wondering if this was part of RA as it is a "new" pain for me, just over the last 2- 3 weeks.

Me too bigi, my neck flares with joint pain, not so much muscle spasm. However, the best relief I get is from hotpacks and the physiotherapist suggested that I lower the height of my pillow (sleep without one if you can!). I\'ve got a pillow that has a water-bladder in it so you can adjust the height and firmness. It\'s made a big difference and is really, really comfortable. I would recomment them if anyones having problems with their pillow.
Hope you get some relief soon. Cheers.

There is a muscle that runs from your back, up the neck into the head. This muscle can cause a lot of pain. When you are tense this muscle tenses up and is repsonsible for many tension headaches. Apply some moist heat and do some stretching exercises and light massage of your scalp, neck and shoulders.

When I try to massage my scalp I can barely get it to move, try it on yourself. Then find someone who doesn\'t get tense, like a child and massage their scalp - it slides all over the place! Ah to be carefree again! hugs jilly

I have neck pain also on and off. I was told you can RA in the neck but not usually lower back.

My doc told me the same thing as alycevan, I have RA in my neck - C1, C2 and C3; and fribomyalgia in my lower back, as well as DDD (OA) and RA in my hips. I\'ve got em all covered! LOL

Thanks for all the replies. I thought I was having a tumor or something. I had a Ct scan done 2 years ago, because of severe headaches only to find out I was menopausal, and that $2300.00 later. So I did,t want to have another one done. It just amazes me where the RA pops up. The pillow Idea is great and I have to try that also the Massage. I have been taking Magnesium and that also seems to help.
Bigi

Hi everyone,
Glad to find others with the neck pains, sorry any of us have to have these, but I am glad not to be unique in this. I have had pain behind my ears, like if your glasses were way too tight and causing pressure than pain and at the base of my skull to the top of my neck sometime my temples too. I never had these pains before my diagnosis of RA in January, now they are weekly. I get a regular massage which helps a great deal. amy

probly ra i got it to myn starts in lower back and works up to neck and midel of the back of my head

I have severe arthritis in my neck all the way from C2-C6. Two years ago I two hernitated disks in c5-6 and c6-7. At this time I had to go on LTD from my job for 10 months (I then worked in an ER and had to move patients). I have been in a new job for the past year and they have been very good to me so that everything is ergonomically appropriate.

Sounds like you are having muscle spasms, I take flexeril which is a muscle relaxant for help relieve my pain. Good luck!

I get real bad neck pain, manly in the evenigs tho, and when im feeling real tired, the only way to describe it is that it feels like my heads to heavy for my neck, the mintute i lay down or lean my head against somthing it eases the pain.
Glad im not the only one though!!

My neck pain predates my RA. In fact, I got a bad whiplash in a car accident where I was a passenger, and I remain convinced it was the trigger for all my auto-immune diseases.

I went to physio, and took pain killers for many years. Then I switched physios, and they got me doing weights. The lat pull down has been the thing that helps the most. If I stop for even a week the neck pain returns. I don't know about others, but with RA, I found it almost impossible to work out, and when the muscles are not strong, they don't support the joints. If you are able, I would say get some light weights and start lifting. That is the best advice I can give.

Yeah my neck is always sore too. It feels like I slept wrong but I know that's not why it hurts. I have an excellent pillow that cradles my head and neck. I can't wait to lay my head down every night.

I have recently started having pain across my whole neck. I use ha heated neck role to help me out when things get tough. It does work.