Thanks for the info and help!

I went to Costco and got the Salonpas (140 for $8.50). I will give them a try.

What you stated regarding PN is what my one doc stated. PN is a constant pain and mine is more of a pain issue caused by pressure (stepping off). I am also NOT getting any other symptoms of myelin sheath damage like numbness, strange sensations, burning, etc.

As far as the muscle fasciculations. I was told that there is such a thing as BFS (Benign Fasciculation Syndrome). It's a muscle twitch that has no real diagnosed origin and does not do anything besides become annoying and can cause some cramping or muscle stiffness. It can be brought on by stress/anxiety or sometimes a viral thing but they don't know for sure.

Maybe I have BFS and just bad foot mechanics? I did notice that when I got stressed my fasciculations increased A LOT in my calf and foot arches.

Magnesium usually helps with those fasics.

You can put the Salonpas up the shin some. I am doing that now
for my swollen left ankle. I find that they work there well for my whole foot! Must be blood vessels near the skin so the active methyl salicyclate can get into the blood there and move into the foot. So now I apply them 2-3 inches on the lower leg in front,
BEFORE the ankle. So do try them there.

Also if rotate your placement. I find days in a row say 3 or more,
and my skin can get irritated by the adhesive. Not seriously, but it itches etc. I've also moved the patch to the lateral side of the lower leg with good results. The sural nerve goes down to the foot on that side.

For the ball of the foot, I place the left edge of the patch just below where the big toe bends and loop it around the upper arch..not ON the ball of the foot (skin is rather thick there), but
very near the edge where it starts. This really helps any tendonitis from those sesamoids. I do this at night because this placement can come off during the day walking around etc.

I get my Salonpas at Costco too. I use them alot, so Costco is very cost effective. Once I open the green envelope and take the first one out, I use a Ziploc baggie to keep the rest...this keeps them fresh. You can also cut them and wrap around the big toe...which I have done sometimes too.

These work very well for arthritis, and tendonitis in the foot, and when you reduce that inflammation, you might find your calf nerves that twitch, stop doing that also.