@agee3003 Hello and welcome to Connect. I'm glad you had an MRI to check things out, and because you are getting better, that is a very good sign. I am a spine surgery patent for cervical cord compression, and I have thoracic outlet syndrome which causes compression on the brachial plexus where the nerves leave my spine to go to my arm. That is a muscular type of compression of the small spaces those nerves travel through, and you described what my symptoms are like. My saying this doesn't mean that you share the same issues with me. Often symptoms of various issues overlap, and it takes a detective to figure out their source or sources.

When something is too heavy, unknowingly, we recruit other muscles to help and often with poor ergonomics. It's common to use your neck muscles to assist in lifting, and those attach to ribs and the shoulder blade. It is the rotation of the shoulder blades that allows the arm to move above the shoulder because the shoulder blade rotates supporting the weight of the arm and they move around suspended by the muscles attached. My physical therapist tells me to set my shoulder blades before lifting something... that is move them backward and together. Why? Because if my shoulders are forward the shoulder blades are rotated and shifted forward around the side of the ribs in back, and they are not in the position of strength to support a heavy weight on lifting. When you use good posture, straight back and make sure not to bend forward on lifting, you put less pressure on the neck and spine. That is why they tell people to hold the box, but lift using your legs if possible.

Also, interpretation of the MR imaging is subject to the opinion of the specialist. A radiologist needs to point out any possible problem to the doctor who ordered the scan so that they may do further testing. He wants to cover his responsibility for finding anything and everything because he is held accountable for errors of omission. The patient is handed a report without knowing how to interpret the results and that is a bit traumatic sometimes. Sometimes reports are wrong, or misdiagnosed or there is something found that has no consequences. It takes the training of the spine specialist to interpret the results, and it seems your doctor doesn't accept that as fact. That is actually good news. The report called it a "potential cause", not an absolute cause of pain.

What you may want to consider is a physical therapy evaluation. That can identify your pattern of how you move and function, as well as retrain your muscles to avoid bad habits and build core strength to protect your spine. If you are still worried, you can get another specialist's opinion. You are correct in that spine problems that are not the immediate result of a recent injury often take time to develop with symptoms that can come and go. In my case, I had a whiplash injury which did cause a spine problem about 20 years down the road, and I was probably in my very early 40's when the whiplash happened. It is good to keep records of these things because sometimes, there is an early sign of something that becomes important much later down the road as a clue to the beginning of what develops over time.

The important piece here to focus on is that you are getting better. Keep that in mind so your brain can let go of the fear. We are programmed to respond to fear as a survival mechanism, and that gets in the way of rational thinking. So, you can now say to your brain, OK, thank you, I heard your message, and things seem to be OK now, so please stop worrying.

@agee3003 was a MRI of your head also done to rule out a Chiari Malformation? The doctor you saw were they a neurologist? Did they go over your MRI report and explain the findings? Did they suggest seeing a neurologist? Did your doctor send a referral to the neurologist or was it left up to you? Has the neurologist copies of you MRI images and report? Once you see the neurologist they should be able to give you a proper diagnosis of what is causing your issues.

I have attached a link from the Mayo Clinic website about Syringomyelia and Chiari Malformation. You may find this helpful.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syringomyelia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354771
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chiari-malformation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354010
Do you have any numbness or tingling in any of your extremities? Do you have the sensation of a cape feeling in your upper back when someone touches your upper back.

I agree with @jenniferhunter and get a PT evaluation as maybe it is your posture.

I would also recommend starting a journal to note what you do each and everyday, how you are feeling after anything that you did physically. You may find this helpful as you wait for your appointment with the neurologist.

I have been journaling since I had surgery for both Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia. Both were so severe I needed brain decompression surgery. Journaling has helped me in finding areas where I need to adjust to prevent my body from hurting.

I see my neurologist annually for monitoring and my journal is helpful in remembering things that I need to ask about and any questions I may need to ask that I think of between annual appointments.

Just to let you know that before diagnosis and all thru my journey and as of right now, I am still working full time in data entry. I plan to continue until it is time to retire.

It will be 8 years in August and September that I was diagnosed and had surgery. I continue to live my life as I always did with a few adjustments.

Keep us informed as you move along on your journey for a diagnosis. I will tell you it will not be easy, but you cannot give up. Just take one step at a time and not look further down the road then the step right in front of you.