Hello, I understand your concern. Cervical spondylitis or neck arthritis can be very frustrating and interfere with normal daily activities thus affecting the quality of life. Your husband s doctor has most probably prescribed a pain killer and a muscle relaxant to be taken in addition to physical therapy. This is usually the line of treatment for a wear and tear disease such as spondylitis. Using heating pads or cold pack on the neck and shoulders can provide considerable relief for sore muscles. Advil or Tylenol are also over the counter remedies which can be taken for pain relief. If all these measures still do not provide satisfying pain relief, I would recommend steroid injections such as Prednisone. This would help decrease inflammation and lessen the pain. Another drug to be considered and talk to the doctor about is an anti-epileptic such as gabapentin which helps with pain caused by nerve damage. If there is no relief and the pain persists despite all these, then surgery is the only way. Removal of possible bone spurs or herniated discs is sometimes necessary in persisting pain in neck arthritis. This is however rarely necessary and only your doctor can decide, based on the complete medical history and test results. Wishing you and your husband all the best