Cause of onset & increase of pain in neck, hips, knees, feet, shoulders, wrists?

I have severe pain in my neck, lower back (SI area), both hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists/hands/fingers, ankles and feet.  My knees, ankles, feet and fingers constantly pop, while my back and shoulders do occasionally.
I have a very tender knot on left side of spine, around C7/S1-2 (?), s/p 2 diskectomies C4-5 in 2004 (plastic spacer); repair to C4-5 & work on C5-6 in 2007 (donor bone fusion). It has been there for 3+ months. The pain in my neck is almost constant and do have numbness from time to time. The last MRI showed no recent changes, general degenerative disk disease in neck/spine.  The pain in my neck, hips, back and knees are almost a constant. Even while in bed I have a great deal of pain. I have used heating pads as well as an electric blanket, along with other general measures. Taken lots of Tylenol & Motrin but do not seem to help & pain seems to increase. I toss & turn all night due to pain; 2 to 4 hours sleep. Of course sleeping on my sides causes pain in my shoulders.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? I'm sorry to hear what you have been through. Aside from the joint pain, what other symptoms are present? Joint pain can be caused by  a variety of issues such as injuries, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, gout, infections, osteoarthritis, as well as tendinitis. To determine the underlying cause, further evaluation may need to be done such as CBC or blood differential, C-reactive protein, Joint x-ray, sedimentation rate and other blood tests specific to various autoimmune disorders. If pain medications do not help provide relief, it is best that you have this checked by your doctor for proper evaluation. Take care and do keep us posted.