Hi y'all! I have a question. For a couple of years now, I have had on and off neck pain and stiffness. I have started sleeping on one of those squishy pillows that you can get at Wal Mart and it has helped some. Lately my shoulders have started bothering me a good bit, especially my right one. I find that I can't pick up and hold things over a pound or so in my right hand without risking dropping them. I work at the post office and when I'm boxing mail it seems like I have a hard time getting letters in a box without catching the sides , top or bottom of the box and I drop them a lot.

Now the question...Could these problems be caused by my neck problem?

I haven't had x-rays or an MRI done on my neck but I have on my lower back. I have degenerative arthritis and stenosis at L4 and L5 with osteophytes and some disc bulging. I figured that if my lower spine is degenerating that my upper probabally is too.

Hello Mari Girl
I would go to your doctor and see if they can do an x ray or Mri to see what is going on with your neck. I have 2 herniated discs in my neck and I drop things all the time and can't lift any thing heavy and I can't use my arms over my head. I get severe nerve pain down my arm all the way to my fingers. as far as your pillow, those squishy pillows are not going to help your neck. I have the contoured memory foam pillows and it helps to sleep good. I have bought them for my fiance and my kids. I got them on Overstock.com they were on sale for $33.99 for 2 the regular price was $199.00 They are better then the first one I bought that was a sealy memory foam. Good luck
Terri

Marti, how would you describe the pain? Sharp, like a stabbing pain or just a dull ache with stiffness?
Have you had any recent trauma to that area? Or is it something that just comes and goes?
Back to the pain. Is it in your neck, your traps (the muscle you would feel kind of on top of your collar bone) or in your shoulder?
Have you ever had any shoulder problems?
I have a condition called "military neck", that's when the natural curve you are supposed to have in your neck is gone. It can put pressure on some nerves in that area and be a real "pain in the neck". Stiff neck and such. Trouble turning head from side to side.
Overuse problems are very common in the shoulder area. Especially for people who do repetitive movements. Doing one particular movement over and over and over again.
Weak rotator cuffs are another problem in the shoulder area that can cause pain. That is the ligaments and muscles in the shoulder area that hold the shoulder joint together. Again, with repetitive movements in can cause inflamation in that area.
The pillow is a good idea. Remember, you get what you pay for. I like to spend a couple extra bucks for quality.
I'm not a doctor. I do have a personal training background. So the information that I've given you is just general. Please check with your personal doctor for any diagnosis, and good luck with your problem.