Pain and inflammation in arthritis, back pain, sprains and strains, gout attacks, dental and post-operative pain, and painful periods. Gels treat localised muscle and joint pain with far less absorbed into the body.

Injured tissue makes prostaglandins, the chemicals that create swelling, redness and pain and that turn up the sensitivity of pain nerves. Diclofenac blocks the COX enzymes that produce them, so inflammation settles and the pain signal weakens.

Indigestion, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhoea, headache and dizziness. With the gel, mild skin irritation where it is rubbed in.

Diclofenac raises the risk of stomach bleeding and of heart attack and stroke, so it is used at the lowest dose for the shortest time. Take tablets with or after food, and tell your doctor about stomach ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease, or asthma. Avoid it in the last three months of pregnancy, and do not combine it with another NSAID such as ibuprofen or naproxen. It is a prescription medicine in Pakistan.