An adjustment changes how a joint moves. Corrective exercise is what teaches the muscles around that joint to hold the change once you walk out of the office. At Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Surprise, Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. builds a short, specific set of movements around what your examination and your X-rays actually show, so the correction lasts longer than the visit. New self pay patients start at $49 for a first visit that includes the consultation, exam, X-rays if clinically necessary, and first treatment. Walk ins are welcome Monday through Thursday.
What corrective exercise is, in plain words
It is a small number of movements chosen for your case and nothing else. Not a printed sheet of forty stretches, and not a gym program. Most people leave with two or three things to do, each one aimed at a muscle group that the examination showed is either not working or working too hard. It is the same thing your insurance paperwork calls therapeutic exercise, and the same thing other offices call rehabilitation exercise or corrective exercise. The set changes as you change. When a re-examination shows the joint holding on its own, the exercises that were holding it are retired and something else takes their place.
Why the adjustment alone is not the whole treatment plan
A joint that has been stiff for years is surrounded by muscles that have adapted to it. Free the joint and leave the muscles alone, and the old pattern pulls it back. That is the honest reason some people feel good for two days after an adjustment and then slide. Exercise is the part of the treatment plan that changes the pull. It is also the part you control, which is why it is taught in the office rather than emailed to you.
What we use it for
It supports care for back pain, neck pain, shoulder and hip pain, and sciatica and radiating pain. It is a standard part of recovery after an auto accident injury or a work injury, where the goal is measured, documented return of function rather than a vague sense of feeling better. It is also where posture correction gets done, because posture is held by muscles and muscles are changed by work.
How it fits with the adjustment, acupuncture and dry needling
These are not separate appointments here. In one visit the adjustment restores the motion, acupuncture and dry needling release the muscles that are guarding, and the exercise trains what is left to hold the new position. Dr. Legg is Certified in Acupuncture and performs the needling himself, so nothing is handed between providers and the exercise is chosen by the same person who felt the joint.
How do I know the exercises are doing anything?
Because it is measured. Range of motion, the findings from your examination, and what you can do without pain are re-checked at your re-examination, not guessed at. If the numbers have not moved, the set changes. If they have, the set gets harder or comes out. Individual results vary, and a plan that is not working is a reason to change the plan rather than to repeat it.
Does Medicare cover corrective exercise?
No. Medicare covers chiropractic spinal adjustments only. Therapeutic and corrective exercise performed by a chiropractor is not a covered Medicare service, and neither is acupuncture or dry needling by a chiropractor. Those are self pay. We verify your benefits and tell you the cost before your visit rather than after it. More detail is on our Medicare page and our insurance page.
What does the first visit include?
For new self pay patients: examination, X-rays if they are needed, your first adjustment, and your first acupuncture and dry needling treatment, $49. Exercise is introduced once there is something to base it on, which is usually the first or second visit rather than the moment you walk in. Walk in Monday through Thursday or call to book online. The first visit page walks through the day itself, and you can book the $49 visit here. The $49 does not apply to Medicare, auto or personal injury, or workers compensation.
Will the exercises make me sore?
New work can leave you sore in the way that new work does, and that is different from pain. What to expect in the day or two after a visit, and when soreness is worth a phone call, is covered on our what to do after your adjustment page.
Do I need a gym, or equipment at home?
No. The set is built so that it can be done in a hallway with no equipment. If you already train, the set is built to sit alongside what you are doing rather than replace it, and Dr. Legg will tell you plainly if something in your current routine is working against the correction.
How long do I keep doing them?
Until the re-examination says the joint is holding without them, which for most people is weeks rather than months. A small number of people keep one or two movements permanently because their work or their sport keeps reloading the same area. That is a decision made with you at a re-examination, not an open ended assignment.
Visit us
Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture, 13757 W Bell Rd #101, Surprise, AZ 85374, inside Sheitelman Physical Medicine on West Bell Road. Call (623) 214-7600. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Arizona time. Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. earned his Doctor of Chiropractic at Logan University and a Master of Public Health, and you see the same doctor at every visit. Learn more about Dr. Legg, see every condition we treat, or read about spinal decompression. Individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. Last reviewed September 2026.