What Is SOT? The Complete Patient Guide to Sacro Occipital Technique

If you have been to a chiropractor before and felt like you were getting the same adjustment every other patient gets — the same cracks, the same areas, the same "see you next week" — you were not experiencing SOT.

Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) is a complete, evidence-based system of chiropractic care developed over 60 years of clinical research by Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette. It treats the body as an integrated whole: the spine, the organs, and the cranium as one connected system, governed by the relationship between the sacrum (the base of your spine) and the occiput (the base of your skull).

Dr. Dan Foss is San Antonio's only Advanced SOT certified chiropractor through the Sacro Occipital Research Society International (SORSI). This page is the canonical guide to what SOT is, how it works, and why it produces results that standard chiropractic often cannot.

What Does "SOT" Actually Stand For?

SOT stands for Sacro Occipital Technic (or Technique).

• Sacro — related to the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of your spine that sits between your hip bones. The sacrum is the foundation of your entire spinal column.
• Occipital — related to the occiput, the bone at the back and base of your skull where your head meets your neck.

SOT is a method of normalizing the relationship between the foundation of your spine and the top of your spine. This relationship governs the function of your brain and spinal cord — and therefore, every system in your body.

The Three Pillars of Advanced SOT

At Pura Vida Chiropractic, we call this the Pura Vida Protocol — the full Advanced SOT curriculum expressed in three pillars:

Pillar 1 — The Spine and Pelvis (Core SOT)

Using neurological indicators and pelvic blocks, Dr. Foss identifies which of three categories of pelvic-spine dysfunction is present and corrects it. This is the foundation. It addresses sacroiliac instability, disc problems, sciatica, low-back pain, and the cascading dysfunctions that come from a distorted pelvic base.

Read: SOT Category I, II, and III explained Read: What are SOT blocks and how do they work?

Pillar 2 — The Organs (CMRT)

Chiropractic Manipulative Reflex Technique (CMRT) is the organ-adjusting branch of Advanced SOT. Every thoracic vertebra is connected to an organ through the autonomic nervous system. When a vertebra subluxates, the organ it innervates is affected — and often, the organ's dysfunction holds the vertebra out of place. CMRT addresses both.

Conditions CMRT commonly helps: GERD and acid reflux, adrenal fatigue, chronic digestive issues, gallbladder and liver referral pain, PMS and menstrual issues, infertility, kidney stress, constipation, and more.

Read: What is CMRT?

Pillar 3 — The Cranium (SOT Craniopathy)

The 22 bones of your skull continue to move in adulthood — a subtle, rhythmic motion called the cranial rhythmic impulse that drives cerebrospinal fluid flow, nourishing your brain and spinal cord. When these bones lose proper motion, the effects are wide: headaches, migraines, vertigo, TMJ, ear infections in children, post-concussion syndrome, sinus problems, and adjustments that simply will not hold.

SOT Craniopathy gently restores cranial motion and CSF flow. Dr. Foss is the only Advanced SOT craniopath in San Antonio.

Read: The Cranial Rhythmic Impulse

The Cranial Sacral Respiratory Mechanism (CSRM)

This is the physiology behind all three pillars. CSRM is the rhythmic, wavelike oscillation of the membrane system that surrounds your brain and spinal cord — a pulsation roughly 6 to 12 cycles per minute that is as fundamental to life as your breath or your heartbeat.

Its components:

• Respiratory motion of the cranial sutures and flexibility of the cranial bones.
• Respiratory motion of the sacrum between the two ilia.
• Tension within the dural membranes — the tough sleeve that runs from skull to sacrum.
• The inherent pulsation and flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
• The inherent respiration of the brain itself.

When any of these is disrupted, the nervous system is compromised. Every other system of the body — endocrine, cardiovascular, digestive, immune — has a direct or indirect relationship to CSRM. That is why SOT produces results that reach far beyond the spine.

How SOT Is Different From "Ordinary" Chiropractic

Most chiropractic techniques adjust the spine and stop there. SOT does more:

1. It uses objective indicators. Before adjusting, Dr. Foss performs a battery of neurological tests — Arm Fossa, trapezius fiber analysis, occipital fiber palpation, cervical indicators for lumbar subluxation — to determine exactly what is wrong and which category of correction your body needs today. Your adjustment is based on findings, not habit.

2. It uses the weight of your body to correct itself. Pelvic blocks are placed at specific angles under your pelvis. Your own breathing and gravity do the work. This is why SOT adjustments are gentle enough for newborns and effective enough for Advanced athletes.

3. It addresses the organs. Standard chiropractic treats the spine. SOT, through CMRT, treats the spine and the viscera — because they are neurologically one system.

4. It addresses the cranium. 80 percent of your nervous system is housed in your skull. SOT recognizes that adjusting the spine without considering the cranium is incomplete.

5. It knows when to stop. SOT indicators tell Dr. Foss when the correction has been made. You are not adjusted on a schedule — you are adjusted when your body's indicators show you need it.

Who Developed SOT?

Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette — "The Major" — was an engineer, an osteopath, and a chiropractor who spent 60 years and over 135 published volumes developing SOT. He funded his own research by selling a color-photography patent to Kodak during the Great Depression. He tested every procedure on himself before teaching it.

Read the full story of Dr. DeJarnette

What Is SORSI, and Why Does Certification Matter?

The Sacro Occipital Research Society International (SORSI) was founded in 1929 and has been the official home of SOT education, research, and certification since 1957. SORSI certifies practitioners at multiple levels — and Advanced SOT certification, which Dr. Foss holds, represents completion of the full curriculum including CMRT organ work and SOT Craniopathy.

There are a small number of Advanced SOT practitioners worldwide. Dr. Foss is the only one in San Antonio.

Conditions SOT Addresses

SOT is most often sought for conditions that have not resolved with other care:

• Chronic back pain, sciatica, and disc problems
• Headaches, migraines, and post-concussion syndrome
• Vertigo, tinnitus, and balance disorders
• TMJ, bruxism, and jaw pain
• Infant colic, reflux, torticollis, and nursing/latch issues
• Pediatric ear infections and sensory processing
• GERD, IBS, and chronic digestive dysfunction
• PMS, fertility challenges, and hormonal issues
• Adrenal fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome
• "Adjustments that won't hold" — the classic SOT patient

What a First SOT Visit Looks Like

1. Health history and intake.
2. Physical and neurological exam including SOT indicators.
3. X-rays if clinically indicated.
4. Report of findings — Dr. Foss explains what category you are in and what the plan is.
5. Your first adjustment, tailored to your findings that day.

Read: What to expect at your first visit

Is SOT Safe? Is It Proven?

SOT has been clinically practiced in thousands of offices worldwide for over 90 years. Recent research places the risk of serious injury from a chiropractic adjustment at less than 1 in 6,000,000. For context, the average chiropractor pays $1,000–$2,000 per year for malpractice insurance; many medical doctors pay more than that per week. SOT's gentle, blocks-based method is among the safest approaches within chiropractic.

Read our full SOT FAQ Read about SOT research and evidence

Ready to Experience Real SOT Care in San Antonio?

If you have been through the standard chiropractic experience and still have the problem that brought you in, SOT may be what you have been missing. Dr. Foss offers a free evaluation so you can find out — with no obligation — whether SOT is right for you.

Book a free evaluation — (210) 685-1994 Address — 2318 NW Military Hwy Suite 103, San Antonio, TX 78231 Hours — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 7am–4pm