Jeff LangmaidFounder, The Evidence Based Chiropractor

Radial vs. Focused Shockwave: What’s the Difference?

30 Apr 2026 · 0 min

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In this segment Jeff Langmaid explains the two main categories of shockwave therapy—focused and radial. He notes a substantial price gap between the technologies and highlights their distinct mechanisms of action. Focused shockwave behaves like a "sniper rifle," delivering a concentrated, high‑energy pulse that penetrates deeply and targets tissue with pinpoint accuracy. Radial shockwave devices, by contrast, generate energy at a focal spot that then radiates outward, creating a broader but shallower field of impact. Because of these differences, each modality has specific clinical indications, and both can be valuable depending on the depth and nature of the treatment required.

And we'll have a deeper conversation on the different branches in shockwave as well. There is radial and there is focused shockwave. Obviously a huge price difference, but there's a mechanism of action difference as well. The focused therapy works a little like a sniper rifle where it gets stronger and more pinpoint the deeper it gets into tissue. And radial devices like ours, they start at a focal spot and they radiate outwards to create a little bit more spread, but it limits how deep they can penetrate into the tissue. So there's uses for both.