Injury and movement recovery care

What Injury & Movement Recovery Care Is

Recovery is not about choosing between chiropractic care or athletic therapy. It is about using the right approach at the right time to help your body move better, heal, and stay active.

Dr. Notley combines hands-on care with active rehabilitation to address pain, movement limitations, and recurring injuries. This approach brings together chiropractic techniques and athletic therapy principles to support recovery, restore function, and reduce the risk of symptoms returning.

Care begins with understanding how your body moves and how your symptoms respond to activity. Treatment is then adapted based on your needs, your goals, and how you progress over time. Some people benefit more from hands-on treatment early on. Others progress quickly into exercise-based rehabilitation. Most fall somewhere in between.

This is not a separate service or program. It reflects how care is delivered across Dr. Notley’s clinic, allowing treatment to remain flexible, individualized, and focused on long-term movement and function rather than short-term relief.

Who This Approach Is For

Injury and movement recovery care is designed for people who want to return to activity with confidence, regardless of their current fitness level or background. This approach is not limited to competitive athletes or sports-related injuries. It is used for anyone dealing with pain, stiffness, or recurring setbacks that are interfering with daily life, work, or exercise.

Many patients seek care after trying to manage symptoms on their own or after feeling unsure about which type of provider they need. Some are active and trying to return to training. Others are managing physically demanding jobs, recovering from injuries, or simply trying to stay active without flare-ups. This approach allows care to be adapted to each situation without forcing patients into a single category.

You do not need to decide whether you require chiropractic care or athletic therapy before booking. Assessment and treatment are guided by your needs, not by a predefined service label. Care may involve hands-on treatment, exercise-based rehabilitation, or a combination of both, depending on what supports recovery and progress at that stage.

This approach is especially helpful for people who want clear guidance, shared decision-making, and a plan that evolves over time. Rather than treating isolated symptoms, care focuses on restoring movement, improving tolerance to activity, and helping you return to the things you want to do with fewer limitations.

How Care Works

Care begins with a detailed assessment focused on how your body moves, how your joints and muscles respond to load, and how your symptoms behave during activity. The goal is to understand what is limiting your recovery rather than relying on a single diagnosis or imaging finding.

Based on this assessment, treatment is selected to match your current needs. In some cases, care may focus on restoring joint motion or reducing sensitivity so movement feels more comfortable. In others, the emphasis may be on rebuilding strength, coordination, and tolerance to activity. Often, both are used together as recovery progresses.

Because Dr. Notley is trained as both a chiropractor and an athletic therapist, care can draw from both skill sets when appropriate. Hands-on techniques and exercise-based rehabilitation are not viewed as separate phases or competing approaches. Instead, they are integrated based on how your body is responding and what is needed to support progress.

Care is adjusted over time. Early treatment may prioritize symptom reduction and basic movement. As pain settles and confidence improves, the focus typically shifts toward active rehabilitation, conditioning, and preparing you to return to work, sport, or regular exercise. The approach evolves with you rather than following a preset protocol.

All care is collaborative. Treatment options are discussed, consent is always obtained, and techniques are chosen based on their role in supporting your recovery. The aim is not to apply more treatment, but to apply the right treatment at the right time so progress can be maintained independently.

Consent, Choice, and Safety

Your comfort, understanding, and consent guide every part of care. No technique is performed without discussion, and you are always involved in decisions about your treatment. This includes whether or not hands-on techniques such as chiropractic adjustments are used.

Some patients benefit from techniques that improve joint motion or reduce symptoms that are limiting progress. Others recover well without them. There is no expectation that any single approach must be used. Care is adapted to your needs, preferences, and goals at each stage of recovery.

Safety is supported through careful assessment, ongoing communication, and appropriate progression of care. Techniques are chosen because they support function and recovery, not because they fit a predetermined plan. If your needs change, care changes with you.

This approach allows treatment to remain flexible, transparent, and focused on what helps you move forward with confidence.

Expected Outcomes

Most people seek care because pain, stiffness, or recurring injuries are limiting their ability to move, exercise, work, or stay active. The goal of care is to restore comfort, confidence, and capacity so movement becomes less of a concern in daily life.

Early in care, many patients notice improved comfort with everyday movements and a reduction in symptoms that have been interfering with activity. As joint motion improves and tissues tolerate load more effectively, tasks that previously felt difficult or aggravating often become easier and more manageable.

With continued care, progress shifts toward improved strength, coordination, and control. Patients commonly report greater confidence returning to exercise, sport, or physically demanding work, with less guarding and fewer flare-ups. Movement feels more natural and less effortful over time.

An important focus is reducing recurrence. By addressing movement restrictions, strength deficits, and how the body responds to stress and load, care aims to break the cycle of short-term relief followed by the same issue returning. Patients develop practical strategies and exercises that help maintain progress independently.

Outcomes are guided by your goals. Whether that means returning to training, staying active without setbacks, or moving through daily life with fewer limitations, care is structured to support long-term function rather than temporary symptom control.

How This Fits With Chiropractic Care and Athletic Therapy

This approach reflects how care is delivered across Dr. Notley’s services rather than representing a standalone treatment or program. Whether patients book under chiropractic care or athletic therapy, the same principles guide assessment, decision-making, and progression of care.

Chiropractic care often plays a role when joint motion, spinal mobility, or pain is limiting movement and function. Athletic therapy is emphasized when rebuilding strength, endurance, coordination, and tolerance to activity is the priority. In practice, these approaches frequently overlap, and care is adapted based on what supports recovery at that point in time.

Patients do not need to choose between chiropractic care and athletic therapy before starting. Treatment evolves based on response, goals, and comfort level. Some patients rely more heavily on hands-on care early on. Others progress quickly into exercise-based rehabilitation. Many benefit from a combination of both.

This integrated approach allows care to remain flexible and individualized while avoiding unnecessary separation between services. The focus stays on helping you move better, recover fully, and return to activity with confidence rather than fitting your care into a predefined category.