Hi John!
Well, you can try many things, if you are allergic to cortisone shots. You have diffuse disc bulges at several levels in the neck along with mild canal narrowing at one place. You should respond to physiotherapy, chiropractor, neck exercises, maybe manual traction, non steroidal anti-inflammatory pain medications. Please consult your doctor regarding this. Take care!
The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.
In the past 10 years i have done phsyical therapy, a chiropractor, and always... ALWAYS get a deep tissue massage atleast once (sometimes twice) a month. These have always helped with my range of motion but not the pain itself. When I was younger my PCP put me on anti-inflammatory medication as well as a pain medication called Darvon which did help when I took both at the same time however a few years ago Darvon was taken off the market due to it causing heart problems, which incidently, after the accident, doctor's found a pin-sized hole in my heart which seems to have repaired itself since found. After it was taken off the market, my PCP never substitued it with anything different. As a result I was just taking the anti-inflammatories which had little to no effect what-so-ever. I am going to another Orthopedic doctor for a second opinion on October 1, 2013, so hopefully they can do something to alleviate these neck problems of mine.
Thank you for your input Dr. Kokil Mathur.