As a practitioner, Stacey Roberts has seen it all. A physical therapist and Master’s trained registered nurse, she’s worked in the fields of orthopedics, sports medicine, acute and chronic pain since 1990.
But her new business, New You Health and Wellness, puts a different spin on her training in functional medicine. In conjunction with the conventional methods she applies to her patients, she’s one of the only PTs in the area using a device called SoftWave, a proprietary electrohydraulic acoustic shockwave device that is at the forefront of medical innovation.
In short, Roberts says SoftWave is quite simply the most effective and powerful electro hydraulic shockwave device she’s ever seen, and it works for pain relief more quickly than any other electromagnetic treatment plan on the market.
“When I first heard about it, I was really skeptical, because with 33 years in PT, I've never come across a modality that really did much to really move the needle,” says Roberts, who opened her practice in Wauwatosa in 2021. “Then I observed a treatment where a patient had some pain in their shoulder, and after they had the treatment and they were able to lift their arm up and with no pain.”
While Roberts still employs conventional, hands-on modalities of physical therapy along with SoftWave, she says she was stunned that the patient remained pain-free days after her treatment – and is still without pain two years later.
That was proof enough for Roberts to dive into the research and ultimately open her clinic.
Says Roberts, “These are people who are having chronic issues and lots of chronic pain. They've tried everything else. They've tried PT, they've tried chiropractic, they've tried acupuncture.”
That's where she comes in.
The wand-like device doesn’t look intimidating, and it’s not uncomfortable during treatment. The applicator has an electrode inside, emitting energy that travels through water – “unlike other devices that are electromagnetic, it travels five times faster through water than it does air,” says Roberts.
Our bodies translate that energy into an acoustic wave, which Roberts says travels four to six inches deep into the tissue. Our brains initiate localized cellular signaling, even bringing stem cells to the area to decrease inflammation. Unlike other treatments, you don’t have to return again and again for it to work. Roberts says most patients feel results in three to six sessions.
Roberts says she can reach deeper tissues with her mechanical work after the SoftWave treatments, too.
On the patient side, it feels like a pinging or a knocking that intensifies when Roberts hits a pain point, but it doesn’t hurt. At worst, the area is briefly a little sore, but I found that any discomfort wore off well before the session was over.
Now, her patentees are singing her praises, and it makes sense, because Roberts is very esteemed in her field and has gained their trust.
She has mentored more 100 medical professionals in her women’s health and couples fertility training, and was an associate clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Physical Therapy doctoral program. Roberts has also appeared on "Oprah," locally on "Morning Blend" and on several news shows and radio stations in the U.S. and Australia.
“I had a swollen ankle for more than 10 years and never understood why, despite years of regular physical therapy and multiple scans,” says patient Molly Fay. “Stacey used a combination of therapies, and now I'm back to doing the things I love.”
According to Dolores Gauthier, a patent facing double knee replacements, Roberts’ treatments did what others couldn’t do.
“Within a few weeks, I knew the therapy was working. Within a few months my knees were clearly much better, and I knew with certainty that I did not need knee replacements. I continued to utilize the therapy she offered for other age-related aches and pains that pop up to speed the healing and I occasionally get a tweak on my knees. They will never be the 21-year-old knees I dream of, but at 70, I’m very happy with how good they feel on a daily basis.”
And Ruth Tsakonas came in for a shoulder and ankle problem … and left in much better shape. Says Tsakonas, “The shoulder was 80% better after the first treatment and totally better after the second or third. My foot/ankle has been swollen for over 3.5 years from an injury. After one treatment, it was a normal size for the first time in years. I’m so grateful for her help.”
Of course, Roberts doesn’t limit her practice to only SoftWave. She’s a big believer in addressing gut health, exercise programs and other cutting-edge therapies that I, myself, am trying out and will report back on the results. I can, however, confirm that several SoftWave treatments knocked down the lumbar and sciatic pain I’ve encountered through two back surgeries. I’ll never have a completely normal back after two discectomies, but I definitely notice a longer pain-free stretch between flareups.
While Roberts' SoftWave treatments are FDA-approved, they’re not yet covered by insurance – although Roberts is participating in several studies to show the insurance companies that this is a worthwhile alternative to traditional PT, alone.
Her charge for an initial evaluation is $195, then $150 per treatment – but again, Roberts wants to stress that this isn’t a long-term, slow-moving approach to pain management. Roberts is also offering a $69 trial and 10-20% off packages.
Says Roberts, “We know that we want you to have this pain relief for long term. So we're not just going to do the shockwave, we're going to do manual therapy. We're going to do exercises if needed. We’ll do whatever we can do to help you function better as a result of having less pain with this device.”
New You Health and Wellness is located at 10919 W. Bluemound Road. Visit her website or call (414) 299-8121 for more information.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
