Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) is a chiropractic technique that was developed by Major Bertrand DeJarnette. He was first an engineer who had a workplace accident that severely injured him. He was able to regain his health with the help of chiropractic and osteopathic care. He first studied osteopathy before becoming a chiropractor in 1924. He spend over 50 years developing and researching the method that we now know as SOT. SOT is a gentle, safe and effective approach to the care of the chiropractic patient.
SOT goes beyond looking at individual spinal bones and evaluates global neurological patterns that include the cranium (head), pelvis, extremities and organs. These patterns are the nervous system’s response to subluxation, in the form of compensations and adaptations, that seek to maintain function and comfort. Unless a person suffers an acute injury, most symptoms are the end result of years of compensating for old issue and subluxations that can date back to early childhood.
In the SOT model, the subluxation is defined by Dr. DeJarnette as follows: “The subluxation produces abnormal stimulus which affects the musculoskeletal system and can alter the total make-up of the intervertebral foramen through the total length of the vertebral system… This stimulus is not necessarily one resulting from a changed attitude of one vertebrae in relationship to another or many other vertebrae, but may be the result of meningeal bulging, traction, overlapping, tearing, inflammation of one of many other processes. The total dural structure is under tension with resultant neurological dysfunction develops at the spinal or cranial area now under the greatest stress.”
By continually examining and monitoring neurological indicators, the SOT practitioner works through the many layers of compensations in the body to get to, and correct for, subluxations that are at the root of the problem. Such an approach must address all of the involved anatomy: the bones of the skull, spine and pelvis, the dural-meningeal system (connective tissues covering the brain and spinal cord) and the CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid). The bones house and protect the nervous system. The connective tissue supports the brain and spinal cord by tethering them to the bones from the inside. Finally, the CSF is a fluid that surrounds the brain and flows around the brain and spinal cord. It helps bring nutrients to the nerve cells, remove toxins and metabolic waste (like the lymphatic system of the body) and helps regulate brain temperature. Adjustments realign bones, reduce and equalize connective tissue tension and improve CSF flow. The adjustment reduces the irritation and increased aberrant stimulation of the central nervous system and promotes its well being.
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Sacro Occipital Technique
The Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) is a type of chiropractic approach that focuses on how the sacrum (the bone at the base of your spine) and the occiput (the base of your skull) work together through the nervous system. SOT is based on the belief that when the sacrum and occiput are balanced, the nervous system can function better, and the body can heal more effectively.
Here’s a simple way to understand it:
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Your spine connects your head to your pelvis, and your brain and spinal cord run through it.
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The sacrum and occiput act like the “bookends” of this system.
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If there’s imbalance or tension at either end, it can affect how your whole body functions—especially your nervous system
What SOT practitioners do
Instead of a lot of cracking or forceful adjustments, SOT often uses:
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Gentle positioning
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Special wedges (called “blocks”) placed under your pelvis
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Light pressure on specific areas
These methods aim to help your body naturally realign itself, improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid around your brain and spinal cord) and reduce tension in muscles and nerves.
In plain terms
Think of it like this: If your body is a tent, the sacrum and occiput are like the anchor points. If one side is off, the whole structure gets uneven. SOT tries to gently rebalance those anchors so everything else settles into place.
