Hi - I had neck problems (and later shoulder problems) for years before I had RA.  Cervical (neck area of spine) involvement is very common in RA.  But even without BONE trouble, for me the problem was muscle spasms.  I had had PT with success several times over a couple of decades when the tension/pain would get bad.  I've been to chiropractors - for a while that was helpful, until one over-zealous but under-competent guy overdid his routine on me, and since then I stick to physical therapists for the most part.  They were the ones who helped me learn what I myself could do.  

   In spite of all that, one evening I felt I was developing an fearfully increasing collar of spasms around my neck.  I tried to lie down and relax, but it only got worse.  Finally around 11:00 pm my husband took me to the ER, where they gave me a shot of Toradol and some generic Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine).  I have never been without a small supply of cyclobenzaprine ever since.  I don't need it all the time, but I have found it's better to take a small amount if something seems to be developing (like a half-tablet 5 mg) rather than wait until I reach the panic stage. 

    The RA diagnosis happened after all of the above.  My symptom have changed somewhat: for a couple of years, periodically I would get something more like a  nerve spasm going right up into my head.  The cyclo benzaprine would help only a little bit so I eventually went to see a local headache specialist who also facilitates a fibromyalgia group and is herself a chronic pain sufferer.  No warm fuzzies here, she's very cliinical and analytic but the one consultation with her was extremely productive.  She did a very specific exam and could tell me which muscles I was overusing, etc. and gave me some other reading material to take home.  I didn't want to take the time out for a series of appointments at that particular time (my current job...) but that consultation was all I needed to make some changes in the way I do things and I rarely have the problem now.  (Mostly it happens when I slump over the computer screen sloppily and also overdo the caffeine which increases the risk of spasms, etc....)

    (If anyone is curious  or lives in my neck of the woods - northern NYS, her faculty website is here:  http://people.clarkson.edu/~lrussek/)

    Good luck with your troubles!  (I was just given pause on another part of the HealthCentral website where I read that neck/shoulder/arm pain can be caused by lung cancer invading the nerves - spare me from my fears!  But I'm a compulsive reader of medical stuff, especially having had both parents pass away from cancer...)