What can I do about arthritis in neck and lower back?

@bobwhitecoldsnow what do your neck X-rays show? If you’ve got bone on bone or fused vertebrae this could also be a cause as well. This is the cause with me and I do PT 2x a day at home to stay limber. Did any medical professional tell you not to move your neck?

Well, you sure got a lot of ideas as the result of asking. So, I'll try not to duplicate any. My ins doesn't pay for massage, it's often a good idea but not many of us can find one that takes our ins.

There is Diclofenac gel 1%, that is sold over the counter now. That's an NSAID gel, and it does have instructions to read and follow, so I'll skip those. The name brand in Voltaren. They had it in Europe, but only in the last few years here in the USA. Not cheap, but not expensive either. I last found it in our local grocery store aisle. I have cervical neck pain and don't use opioids, so it's good for me to have something that both treats the pain and reduces inflammation. Posture is also important, which I guess is part of what PT would deal with. Good luck.

I have my doctor write a prescription for Voltaren. I’ve met my out of pocket for prescriptions so it is free for me.

@bobwhitecoldsnow - I just want to respond to your problem - specifically. It doesn't belong with all the other discussion IMHO. I believe you should find a physical therapist which will handle your problem. It took me two visits. All the creaking, popping, grinding was released. Its kinda like a knuckle in your finger needing to cracked. It will feel SO SO good when you have that released. I forgot why it happens. But it just needs to be cracked like a knuckle. The right therapist will know what to do. I am so sorry I forgot WHY it happened. I did have surgical surgery and everything got gummed up and stuck. Its kinda like a subluxation that chiropractors release in your back...only thing is they never repair it. You always have to go back. You just need a little manual release from a good physical therapist. It wasn't painful and it was done almost a year ago and hasn't returned.

By the way, Diclofenec comes with prescription strength and is covered by insurance. It works MUCH better if one uses it a lot like I do. The 1% had so much alcohol in the dilution - it nauseated me.

I use the prescription from my provider too. Much better in my opinion.

I like Voltaren for spasms I get in my upper back (rhomboid) muscles. It doesn't smell strong and it works.

Warning - if you have cats, be very careful with Voltaren as it is deadly for a cat. Voltaren can be massaged into the hands for arthritis relief. Don't handle a cat after this. The cat may lick itself and it is very dangerous for a cat to ingest this stuff. Same for axspercreme or any cream, gel, etc. containing an NSAID.

Good points. A good massage a few times a year can also help release muscles that have become "stuck" to bones due to lactic acid buildup. The challenge is finding a good masseuse. A good chiropractor may have a masseuse on staff, or be able to make a recommendation.

Wow. Why is this the first I'm hearing about that? No, I don't have a cat right now, but I have in the past, and he had a vet. They should put up signs in their wait rooms.

I had the same reaction as you. Here is the article where I found this info, from 2015!
https://www.aspca.org/news/topical-creams-can-pose-danger-pets
I don't know how much of the cream or gel it would take to seriously hurt a cat, but why take any chances? I found it really troubling that I never heard this from a vet. At one point we had five cats.