I love Lidoderm. You numb me and I'll move.

I take a hot shower or bath, let my skin dry completely and usually use the whole patch for hip, back, pecs or shoulder. My neck patch don't stay on too well. I will use them on my last two fingers on my left hand, cover last two fingers and hand and wrap to bottom of hand and underside two fingers. Helps tremendously. I use on my thumbs or wrists when they're hurting. I use them on my forearms, area between my tricep and bicep. I have used up to 3 at a time most times. Depending on where I need them the most, I can cut them and use in more places. My areas are usually big enough for the whole patch. I have found that a fresh new patch is a little strong for my wrists and forearms or thumbs. I sometimes reuse the ones for my back, hip or shoulder for those areas.

My cardiothoracic surgeon prescribed DSMO ? , or horse liniment. Instructed to apply it for 12 hours and then apply the lidoderm patch. the theory was the liniment was to open up my pores so that it would allow the lidocaine to soak into the skin better. My doctor also made my insurance pay for the horse liniment. He's amazing.

Elbow pain, oh yeah. I can't rest my elbows on tables or hard surfaces. I used pillows to rest my elbows in, and while driving. Stretches helps that.

Hope this helps in some way. Other people have posts about Lidoderm.