I told my neurosurgeon it wasn't arthritis but early onset rigor mortis!

and it worked great relieving the pain, but after about three months the itching began. My skin was having a reaction to the medication. Stopped using it the pain returned but the itching stopped. Go figure!

Good luck with it though. It did decrease my joint pain while I was able to use the Volteran.

A stronger prescription dosage than over counter.
Volteran is a name brand.
I use the gel for arthritis whenever it creeps up.
Getting old is not for sissies.
Good luck to you. It’s only been an over the counter for a few years.

I have used it on my wrist, ankle and foot. It helps. I am not afraid of expired pills, but liquids and gels seem to not work as well when expired

I use a roll-on lidocaine 4% keeps stuff at bay for awhile. I combine that with mindful cannabis use.

Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug.

So if you also use Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, watch for GI side effects.

I have used Voltaren with some relief - lower back, hand arthritis, forearm nerve pain.

It helped some for her fingers, less so for her shoulder, not at all for her back.
It may be because the inflammation in or near the spine is too far below the surface for the medicine to have much effect.
That would explain helping the fingers too, since there's not much distance between the skin & the arthritic irritation.

the joint and source of the pain is too deep for it to penetrate.

I get mine mixed with lidocaine so I get a wee bit of relief, mostly from the sore muscles surrounding it.