There are some good comments on here and they are very consistent with consensus regarding most back and spine care. It is one of the most costly areas of care in America today. And while this area is difficult at best, there are some things coming from an allopathic (vs chiropractic or osteopathic) training make no sense to me:
1) Why, why, why would you let someone do aggressive and possibly dangerous maneuvers on your neck without better evidence of the actual injury involved when it is in pain? XRays show bone structure, to a degree, but show minimal if any signs of soft tissue damage from areas such as the ligaments and spinal cord itself. These are only visible on MRI (expense but the core of many neurosurg diagnoses). And some would argue surgery falls into this category. I would caution anyone going this route as well. It is, and should be, an approach of last resort. As noted by several on here, is not perfect but can be an absolute blessing to some. I know an old crusty guy that cried with joy after his back surgery as he was pain free for the first time in 20yrs.
2) The only part of a "long term plan" I buy into is PT. These are programs designed to work to strengthen and build around the
ability of the patient, and are controlled by the patient themselves. BUT, they should never charge en bloc. Buying in advance is a tactic of cell phone and cable companies, and if we are all honest, none of us like being tied to a company for 1-2+yrs... Our rates would be better if we could leave a company at any time.
As a separate note, it is a bit hard to make a certain call on the XRays as they are written on over areas that well could be part of the diagnosis (if there was to be one). You still have good disk spacing, good alignment between the vertebra and no obvious signs of spondylolithesis (one vertebra sliding forward over the other). What I can't see with this image is if you do have stenosis (narrowing) of the canals where your nerves exit and are often pinched by formation of osteophytes (small bone growths) or lost disk space (noted I didn't see any). The AP (anterior to posterior) view of your neck is not as good a picture with regard to quality, and as such the facets (part of the vertebra where two levels connect to move-think joints of the neck), etc are hard to see. Again though, from what I can see, alignment looks good there as well.
I personally, with my own bias, recommend an MD clinic visit to a good primary care doctor in your area. Take the XRays with (no sense spending more and being radiated more than absolutely necessary) and see what his exam findings are. There may be a suggestion of what are called flexion/extension films that would help see if things move around when moving your neck. These are often helpful, so don't run from that. As a starting point to improve the attention of your physician, here are a couple things you could look at to show you're serious:
1. Know what dermatomes are affected in your arms. These are essentially "skin maps" of nerves and help determine which level is being affected. Print this out, circle or color in where you are weak, numb, etc. Your doc will be impressed and hopefully give a better workup.
http://www.backpain-guide.com/Chapter_Fig_folders/Ch06_Path_Folder/4Radiculopathy.html
2. Write down a daily journal of what/where/how you are affected. A good history is worth 90% of diagnosis most of the time.
3. Assuming you have no previous kidney damage, liver damage, or history of heavy reflux or GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux disease), anti-inflammatory medications from the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) class are a good place to start to see if inflammatory processes are involved (likely to be). Depending on how big a guy you are will affect how much you can take at a time like all drugs. Personally, I would see if you could manage a course of alternated tylenol and ibuprofen/ Aleve. This allows maximum dosage of over the counter (OTC) medications. Ask about this at your visit as they'll have your vitals and past history to work with for safety...
I wish you the best of luck in resolving this issue. It is a long road for many and will take persistence on your part. One thing that I will note is that you will have to be your own advocate. Another is to STAY AWAY FROM OPIODS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! It is a slippery slope to go down and will also affect the way you are viewed (sadly true) when you walk into a doctor's office or go to a ED (hopefully that won't happen). These are federally controlled drugs and prescribers must have contracts with long-term management on these drugs...and I could go on...
-T
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