If you are adamant that you don't like taking tablets, then you could try pain killers in cream form. Ibuprofen and Voltarol are two that are available.
Ibuprofen is available as a gel to rub onto the skin from where it penetrates to the pain and there is a wide range of anti-inflammatory creams on the market. Capsaicin is another cream which is also used to treat chronic pain and could be just the thing for joint pain.
ALWAYS, check first with your GP before applying cream to joints.
According to Dr. Martin Henry Fischer, an American doctor, 1879 1962 'Half of the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except the bird's might eat them'!!!