Leesa is correct.... that is why I mentioned the "sweet spot".

There are little if any guidelines about placement. The manufacturer did not do studies on this, and many doctors are
clueless. I worked for several years at a large nursing home
medication provider, and we'd get calls all day long about "where to place the patch" etc. Doctors and nurses tend to be confused too.

One needs to have the nerve distribution understood from
anatomy illustrations to have effectiveness. And in some patients, they don't stick well, but there are tricks for that too.

I really like them. They have saved me from having to take
medications, with awful their side effects.

I'd also suggest using some ice packs on your spine at the levels where you know you have problems. Ice twice a day can be very effective too. I am doing that this week in fact for myself. Unless you have RSD.... ice is very good for turning off pain signals. I found HEAT very stimulating for myself. So I avoid that.

I think people give up on Lidoderms way too soon. In my case,
the nerve was so active I couldn't stand it... like 100 beestings all the time, etc. Some call MP pain like a lightning bolt, but that suggests it goes away for a while. Mine would stab me but remain like 100 beestings for hours. days... 14 days of Lidoderm and that stopped. I can feel twinges with it if I overdo it, like overextend my leg, or sit in a hot tub or sauna for 10min or more. But on a daily basis, my pain is in remission. It was nothing short of a miracle.