I am a 78 year old woman and I have had a lot of medical issues my whole life. I am writing now about a pain in my right arm and hand. I guess it is a spinal nerve. I have had it off and on for 35 years. I have taken gabapentin, lyrica and tegretol (at that time I also had trigeminal neuralgia). Right now I am taking nothing. The pain starts in my shoulder and ends in my thumb under the nail bed. I have dealt with neurologists off and on over the years about it. I have found that slathering Voltaren on my nerve from my thumb to my elbow and leaving it for at least 30 minutes really helped lessen the pain. The neurologist said to not do that again but it was a lot more helpful than anything else I have taken. Has anyone used Voltaren in this way? Why did the neurologist tell me not to do that? Thanks.