Tested by: Bredan James, Golf Australia Editor (GA Handicap 8.8)

How it performed: If you have been playing golf for long a long time like me, changes are you have a niggly pain that plays up from time-to-time. It might be a lower back, a hip or a knee that seems to flare up and can keep you off the course.

I’ve played less golf this year than at any time in the past 37 years as a result of chronic plantar fasciitis in both feet. The injury is to the plantar fascia, which is a ligament connecting your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot and if you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.

Most people recover from plantar fasciitis with little rest, putting arch supports in their shoes as well as stretching the affected foot.

But it doesn’t work for everyone, myself included.

So when the opportunity arose to test the PainPod 3, my hopes rose that morning where I could jump out of the bed, let my feet hit the floor and not experience any pain, was not far away. Better still, could the PainPod 3 get me back on the golf course?

The PainPod 3 is essentially, a portable version of the electrotherapy units that are used by physiotherapists to reduce pain and speed up the healing process.

The PainPod unit fits in the palm of your hand and has a rechargeable battery. You connect the wires to the unit and snap on the two electrodes (there is a selection of electrodes of differing sizes included in the box) to the end of the wires.

The electrode pads are sticky, so they adhere to your skin. Once the electrodes are attached and the unit is turned on, a mild electric current is sent to the skin via the electrode.

There are 12 therapy modes on the PainPod 3, each offering a different modes before I found the one that I thought provided the best result.

Using the timer, I connected the PainPod 3 for 30 min each time I used it. DUring the course of the half hour there were getting used to the pulse so I increased its intensity, which you can control with the buttons on the front of the unit.

After just three 30-minute sessions daily I found the pain in my feet was starting to subside. As I write this, and three weeks after starting with the PainPod, I am pain free and will be back on the golf course next week.

I can't speak more highly of the PainPod 3 and thoroughly recommend it to any golfer who just wants to get rid of that irritating pain that restricts you from playing the game we all love.

What the company says…

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is the use of electric impulses to stimulate muscles to contract.

This is the process by which the PainPod BioTechnology combines frequency treatment formulations with a range of advanced waveforms to mimic the body's natural contractions, passing gentle bio-pulses through the body tissues and muscle groups, stimulating blood-flow and improving circulation, speeding the body's natural healing or conditioning process.

Australians are saying goodbye to pain once and for all with PainPod, a 3-in-1 medical device that can moderate and manage pain levels, accelerate recovery and improve performance.

PainPod provides a pain and drug-free solution for everything from a sore back to chronic pain to sport rehabilitation. This personal physical therapy device is user friendly, non-invasive and wearable to seamlessly fit people's lifestyle.

PainPod is suitable and safe to use for the whole family.

For more information about the PainPod, visit www.thepainpod.com