Can’t I just do yoga or exercises to solve my structural problems?

Yes and no. Ideally, yoga, Pilates, and other forms of exercise can be restorative. There are two kinds of movement: segmental spinal movement and global movement. The vertebrae in the spine are referred to as "segments". The movement of a single vertebra in relation to another vertebra is called "segmental motion". Moving more than two vertebrae such as in a backbend, touching your toes, side bending or twisting the spine are "global" movements. Global motion is controlled consciously. However, the individual movement of one vertebra in relation to another is not conscious and cannot be accessed or controlled by your will power. When you bend and twist, you can only control the overall motion. If one of your vertebrae is stuck or "fixated" (called a "subluxation" ), it is beyond your conscious ability to control or access this problem. Although global movement has the potential to release the subluxation(read "Can subluxations clear up on their own?"), only chiropractic can restore segmental motion.

This is why chiropractic and exercise together is perhaps the most effective treatment for musculoskeletal care.