WHAT IS MOVEMENT ACADEMY?

Movement Academy exists for people whose sense of identity has been shaped, and often limited, by chronic pain, recurring injuries, or the fear of doing more harm. Our patients aren’t just seeking relief; they’re seeking a return to who they were before pain took the lead—or the discovery of who they can be when movement feels safe again. Many see themselves as “injury-prone” or believe their bodies can’t be trusted. They’ve been dismissed by traditional healthcare and feel misunderstood, discouraged, or stuck. And yet, they’re still searching—because movement isn’t just physical for them. It’s a core part of how they connect, create, and live.

Our Mission

A young man helping an older woman with a fitness or physical therapy exercise using a cervical neck traction device in a room with wooden paneling and a white wall.

We help people who are injury prone or dealing with lingering pain restore movement they thought they’d lost through a holistic assessment, personalized education, and strategic in person or digital coaching so they can return to doing the movements they love.

Meet Dr. Eric

A smiling young man with dark hair and a short beard, wearing a black button-up shirt, standing against a plain white background.

I’m Dr. Eric Schulte, a Doctor of Physical Therapy based in San Diego and the founder of Movement Academy—a hybrid rehab and coaching program designed to help people overcome chronic pain, move with confidence, and get strong again.

But before I ever became a clinician, I was a patient.

For nearly a decade, I dealt with chronic pain that moved from one area of my body to another—starting with a right shoulder injury that lasted 5 years. I believed every time I felt pain, I was damaging myself more. So I started avoiding movement—first certain lifts, then whole workouts, and eventually basic daily motions. My world began to shrink… and so did my confidence.

Despite seeing multiple providers and doing physical therapy for years, nothing brought lasting relief. Just as I started turning the corner with my shoulder, neck pain set in—so severe that sitting for more than 20 minutes made my throat feel compressed. That lasted for 3 years. Once it finally started to resolve, I developed groin pain in my right hip so intense I couldn’t walk without limping.

I was frustrated, confused, and often felt dismissed—some providers even suggested the pain was “in my head.”

But deep down, I knew I wasn’t crazy.

So I stopped outsourcing the solution and became my own case study.

That’s when everything changed.

Through research, trial-and-error, and a shift in how I understood pain, posture, and nervous system function, I finally began to heal. I learned how fear and stress drive protective tension, how avoidance leads to deconditioning, and how to retrain the body and brain to feel safe moving again.

That journey led to the creation of Movement Academy.

Today, I help others navigate the same challenges I went through—combining in-person assessments, digital coaching, and a step-by-step Movement Mastery Curriculum to rebuild strength, restore function, and rewire the nervous system’s response to pain.

This work is personal.

And if you feel stuck, misunderstood, or like your body is working against you—I’ve been there.

Let’s chart a new path forward, together.