Show us where it hurts.

An overload problem affecting the plantar fascia — the thick band of tissue running along the sole of your foot from the heel bone to the toes. Despite the “-itis” in the name, it’s generally understood as a degenerative change in the tissue rather than simple inflammation, which is why many people now call it plantar fasciopathy.

Sharp or bruised pain under the heel, classically at its worst on the first few steps out of bed in the morning or after sitting for a while. It often eases as you move, then returns after a long day on your feet. Standing on hard floors and thin footwear usually make it worse.

Chronic plantar fasciopathy is one of the most established uses of radial shockwave therapy, and the one with the largest body of published trial evidence behind it. The applicator is worked over the tender area of the heel and along the fascia, delivering energy into the tissue to stimulate a repair response. It’s typically used when the problem has been going on for months and hasn’t settled with rest, footwear changes or loading exercises.

The heel is dense, tender and unforgiving, which makes consistent energy delivery matter. EMS designed the radial system around stable energy output across its frequency range, with different applicator sizes for focal tender points and broader areas.

A painful overload of the patellar tendon, which runs from the bottom of your kneecap down to the shin bone. It’s the classic jumping-sport injury — basketball, volleyball, GAA, athletics — but it also turns up in anybody doing a lot of squatting, stairs or repeated loaded knee bend.

A precise, localised pain just below the kneecap that you can usually point to with one finger. Worse when jumping, landing, squatting, going down stairs or standing up after sitting. Early on it warms up with activity, which is exactly why people keep pushing through it.

EMS lists superficial tendinopathies among the applications for the DolorClast® Radial system, which is designed for structures lying within roughly 4 cm of the surface — and the patellar tendon sits directly under the skin. Treatment is applied along the tendon and its tender area, typically alongside a progressive strength programme for the knee.

The tendon sits directly under the skin, so a radial system delivers its energy exactly where the problem is. And because the area is often very tender, the analgesic mode — higher frequency at lower pressure — is available for sensitive presentations.

Painful overload of the rotator cuff tendons — the group of tendons that stabilise and rotate the shoulder. It’s the most common source of shoulder pain in adults and often follows overhead work, throwing, swimming, racquet sports or simply a change in what the shoulder is being asked to do.

Pain on the outside or front of the shoulder, worse reaching overhead, out to the side or behind your back. Night pain when lying on that shoulder is very common, and so is a feeling of weakness when lifting away from the body.

Shoulder tendinopathy is among the conditions extracorporeal shockwave therapy is used for, and it appears in published reviews of the treatment. With a radial system, treatment is directed at the accessible tendon and soft tissue around the shoulder. Suitability depends on what’s found on assessment — not every shoulder problem responds to shockwave, and some need imaging first.

The shoulder tolerates treatment better when intensity can be dialled in precisely. The DolorClast® Radial system has power controls on the handpiece and an analgesic mode for sensitive presentations, so settings can be adjusted mid-session.

Pain arising from muscle and the fascia around it, often with discrete tender points within a tight band of muscle. It turns up almost anywhere — calves, hamstrings, glutes, back, shoulders, forearms — and frequently sits alongside a tendon problem rather than instead of one.

A deep ache with specific spots that are sharply tender when pressed, muscle that feels permanently tight, and pain that keeps returning to the same place despite stretching and massage.

EMS lists muscular pathologies and trigger points among the applications for the DolorClast® Radial system. Treatment sweeps across the affected muscle and works over the tender points, using a larger applicator to cover ground efficiently.

Myofascial pain syndromes and large muscular areas are two of the applications EMS lists as ideal for the radial system. Burst mode alternates frequencies to prevent an acquired tolerance to the stimulus, and at 25 Hz the device delivers 1,500 shocks a minute, so a whole muscle belly can be covered properly within a session.