Back at It Physical Therapy

Back at It Physical Therapy | Dr. Jonathan Schutza PT, DPT. |
(6)

02/25/2026

It doesn’t matter how strong your foot is, if you lack control, that strength won’t do you much good.

The single-leg step down is one of my favorite drills to build true foot and ankle control. As you lower down and come back up, you should be able to control pronation and supination, not collapse into the arch and not over-grip the ground either.

This isn’t about rigid feet. It’s about owning the motion.

If you can’t control your arch during a simple step down, it will be much harder to control it during running, cutting, or jumping.

Strength is important.
Capacity is important.
But control is what allows you to use both.

This is often where I begin with my athletes when we’re building better foot mechanics from the ground up.

I hope you found that helpful and as always take care and God Bless!

02/24/2026

The tibialis posterior is one of the most important muscles in the lower leg.

It controls pronation.
Supports the medial arch.
Decelerates the foot during loading.
Helps with propulsion.

Translation: it manages load.

Who should prioritize strengthening it?

• Runners
• Cutting / pivoting athletes
• People with low arches
• Those with medial ankle or arch pain
• Anyone with repetitive lower-extremity loading

Building tibialis posterior capacity can help with:

• Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
• Adult-acquired flatfoot
• Plantar fasciopathy
• Medial tibial stress syndrome
• Achilles tendinopathy (via better load sharing)

This isn’t about “alignment.”

It’s about capacity.

If the foot has to absorb load, it needs the strength to tolerate it.

Build capacity. Improve tolerance. Expand your options.

02/24/2026

I love this topic because it highlights one of the biggest tensions in endurance sports:

You want to train.
Your foot wants you to calm down.

Someone asked me last night about training for an ultra marathon while dealing with plantar fasciitis.

I laughed a little and said something most runners already know about themselves:

Runners don’t like to modify training load.

But if you’re trying to build capacity while irritated tissue is already overloaded… you can’t just “push through” and expect it to work out long term.

If you’re going to keep training, the key is simple (not easy):

Modify the stress.

That means adjusting:
• Intensity
• Hills
• Total volume
• Frequency
• Surface
• Speed

The goal isn’t to stop running if you don’t have to.
The goal is to make the activity tolerable.

If your symptoms are escalating day to day, your load is too high relative to your current capacity.

But here’s the part people often miss:

When your training schedule opens up and you have space for dedicated rehab, take it.

That’s your opportunity to actually build capacity instead of constantly trying to survive your training.

Ultras require massive aerobic capacity.
They also require massive tissue capacity.

If you want longevity in the sport, you have to respect both.

Load isn’t the enemy.
Unmanaged load is.

02/24/2026

This was a question I talked about on my recent live.

The question was “what are the top three exercises for plantar fasciitis?”

I discuss how it’s less about the specific exercise and more about matching tissue tolerance with exercise intensity.

What do you think?

Rehab is rarely a straight line.It often takes longer than expected.It requires more work than people anticipate.And yes...
02/23/2026

Rehab is rarely a straight line.

It often takes longer than expected.
It requires more work than people anticipate.
And yes, sometimes it’s uncomfortable.

That does not mean it isn’t working.

The patients who do the best long-term are rarely the ones who had a perfectly smooth process.

They’re the ones who stayed consistent through the messy middle.

Strength, function, and independence are worth fighting for.

If you’re in the middle of it right now, you’re not alone.

Minimalist footwear is often discussed in extremes.Either it “fixes everything”or it’s “dangerous.”The research is far l...
02/20/2026

Minimalist footwear is often discussed in extremes.

Either it “fixes everything”
or it’s “dangerous.”

The research is far less dramatic.

When people transition to minimalist footwear and wear it consistently over time, studies have shown measurable increases in foot strength and, in some cases, increases in intrinsic muscle volume.

These are objective findings.
Measured with dynamometry, MRI, and ultrasound.

What that does not mean:
It does not mean injury prevention is guaranteed.
It does not mean pain will automatically improve.
It does not mean everyone should switch tomorrow.

It means that when mechanical demand increases and exposure is appropriate, muscular adaptation can occur.

That’s it.

Strength is a capacity variable.
Footwear can influence loading.
Loading drives adaptation.

The conversation doesn’t need hype, it just needs clarity.

Take care!
God Bless!

02/19/2026

Fear, it’s the thing that holds us back. It doesn’t allow for progress.

It’s normal, but it’s not required.

What are you avoiding in life that’s holding you back?

02/18/2026

If you have plantar fasciitis and feel stuck, this could be why.

You have likely stretched and massaged until the cows came home with limited results. Plantar fasciitis is a mismatch between the foot’s ability to tolerate stress and what you have asked your foot to do.

Share this with someone who needs some guidance!

Take Care, God Bless!

02/18/2026

So this is one of my favorite techniques for tibialis posterior pain. Deep pressure has some wonderful benefits in reducing pain in the short term creating a window of opportunity for exercise or activity.

Be careful this can be a pretty tender spot don’t overdo it.

Take care and God bless!

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