For the past three years I have suffered from cs which flares up four or five times each year. Usually pain from my neck, across my shoulder and down my right arm lasts for anything up to ten days and diclofenac is the drug I use. Latest flare up has now lasted four weeks with little sign of the pain subsiding. I'm now on cocodamol which does not seem to have any real effect. The pain is as a bad as when I was first diagnosed and that took months to subside. Does anyone else experience such flare ups and can you suggest anything I can do to try and relieve the pain. Many thanks.

You might try a course of steroids to bring down the pain level and then continue on a less potent drug. Eventually, you'll probably need surgery but I know anti-inflammatories do work. I've had my neck surgically fixed but the drugs I take for rheumatoid arthritis have greatly reduced the pain from lumbar spondylosis. ASk you primary about a trial on steroids to jump start the pain relief.

gentle hugs................Jenny

Can you get a new MRI to see if anything has changed? If anything has worsened that may be causing the pain to come and not go away.