“I was told by my surgeon that my motion in c6-7 is good and I’m probably experiencing muscle pain and it could take up to a year for it to resolve. Does that sound even remotely possible”? No. How your surgeon knows that the motion of C6-7 is “good” without flexion/extension films is remarkable. There is a very simple way to know if this level is painful. Bilateral selective nerve root blocks at C6-7 with temporary relief of pain would help yield a diagnosis. See:
https://neckandback.com/treatments/epidural-injections-and-selective-nerve-root-blocks-diagnostic-and-therapeutic-neck/ and
https://neckandback.com/treatments/pain-diary-instructions-for-spinal-injections-neck/
Dr. Corenman