The Importance of Combining Adjustments with Exercises
By Dr. Andrew Kakishita | Kinetic Chiropractic – Lehi, UT
Getting adjusted can feel amazing. Your body moves easier, the tension fades, and you finally feel like yourself again. But the truth is, adjustments work best when they’re paired with the right exercises afterward.
Think of an adjustment as hitting the “reset” button for your body. It helps restore normal motion and calm down irritated joints. But if you don’t move and strengthen the muscles around those joints, your body can slowly drift back into the same painful patterns that caused the problem in the first place.
At Kinetic Chiropractic, we see this all the time. Someone gets adjusted, feels great for a few days, and then that same stiffness or ache creeps back in. That’s not because the adjustment didn’t work—it’s because the body hasn’t been retrained yet.
Adjustments Restore Motion, Exercises Reinforce It
When your spine or joints move better after an adjustment, your muscles and nervous system get a chance to relearn proper movement. Exercises help lock in that improvement by strengthening weak areas and retraining your brain to move correctly again.
For example, if your lower back was tight and painful, we might restore that motion with chiropractic care. But if we don’t also teach your glutes and core to do their jobs, your body will eventually fall back into the same stress pattern.
The Goal: Lasting Change
Our goal at Kinetic Chiropractic isn’t just quick relief—it’s long-term improvement. When we combine adjustments with exercise, we help your body adapt, stabilize, and stay strong. You don’t have to live in a cycle of pain → relief → pain again.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
- Adjustments open the door.
- Exercises help you walk through it.
Start Small, Stay Consistent
You don’t need an hour-long gym routine to make progress. Often, just 5–10 minutes of focused movement after your visit makes a huge difference. For example, after a lower back adjustment, we might have you do bird dogs or glute bridges to keep your spine supported. After shoulder work, YTWLs or band pull-aparts help retrain posture and stability.
The key is to stay consistent. The patients who make the most progress are the ones who follow through with their simple rehab plan.
If you’re not sure which exercises are right for you, we’ll guide you through them in-office and give you a plan you can actually stick with.
The Takeaway
Adjustments help your body move better. Exercises help your body stay better. Together, they create lasting results.
If you’re looking for a chiropractor in Lehi who focuses on both, visit Kinetic Chiropractic. We’ll help you not only feel better but move and live better, too.