SOT Chiropractic Technique
Founded by Dr De Jarnette in 1925, he was an engineer, osteopath and chiropractor with a very inquisitive mind. A profoundly spiritual man, he used to say: “When you go to put your hands on someone’s head, you’d better have clean hands, positive thoughts in your mind, and love in your heart.”
Why Consider SOT Over Other Methods?
SOT offers a uniquely holistic approach, blending chiropractic precision with an engineer’s knack for problem-solving and an osteopath’s deep understanding of the body. Unlike some techniques that merely mask symptoms, SOT delves into the root cause by rebalancing the head, spine, and pelvis—much like tuning not just the strings, but the entire instrument.
What sets SOT apart is its structured 3-category system, which allows your care to be precisely tailored. Each treatment is designed to restore full-body function, rather than simply chasing pain relief. If you appreciate methods that focus on long-lasting correction, not just temporary fixes, SOT’s careful assessment and hands-on techniques might be the answer you’re looking for.
Who Can Benefit from Sacro Occipital Technique?
Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) is suitable for a wide spectrum of people, from those seeking relief from chronic discomfort to individuals aiming to optimise their overall wellbeing. Whether you’re struggling with nagging back pain after an overly ambitious bit of gardening, or battling tension in your neck from hours hunched over a laptop, SOT may offer a solution.
People often turn to SOT for help with:
- Persistent headaches or migraines
- Stiffness or discomfort in the neck
- TMJ (jaw) dysfunction
- Lower back or pelvic pain
- Aches and pains in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, or hands
- Challenges with knees, hips, ankles, or feet
It isn’t reserved for any particular age group or “type” of patient—whether you’re a seasoned rugby player, a keen walker, or simply someone fed up with everyday aches, SOT’s gentle approach is tailored to your individual needs.
Let’s look at how SOT addresses these concerns…
How Effective Is SOT?
The effectiveness of Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) often draws its strength from decades of clinical use and ongoing research worldwide. Practitioners and patients alike report significant relief from pain and improved function—whether dealing with acute injuries or stubborn chronic issues.
SOT’s approach has seen widespread adoption in chiropractic circles, with organizations like the International Chiropractic Association recognizing its benefits. Studies published in journals such as the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics have also noted positive outcomes associated with SOT care, particularly in cases related to spinal dysfunction and musculoskeletal complaints.
As with any healthcare method, results can vary, but in the hands of a skilled practitioner, SOT’s blend of gentle techniques and tailored care has helped countless individuals reclaim mobility and comfort.
What Does SOT Feel Like?
Most people are pleasantly surprised by the SOT experience. The technique relies on gentle movements and your own body weight—think more gravity and less brute force. There’s none of that twisting and cracking you see in Hollywood movies or on YouTube compilations. Instead, you may notice a subtle sense of pressure as we make gentle adjustments, often with carefully placed pelvic blocks or hand placements.
Occasionally, people feel a mild ache or a “good sore” sensation at very specific spots—almost like the relief you get from pressing on a tender knot in a tight muscle. This is rarely painful, and many patients describe it as a satisfying release rather than a source of discomfort.
Everyone’s experience is a little different, but the overall process is designed to be as comfortable as possible. Some leave the table feeling immediate lightness or greater mobility, while others may simply feel relaxed and calm.
Is SOT a painful treatment?
Not at all—SOT is known for its gentle nature. Rather than relying on forceful movements or dramatic adjustments, this technique uses the body’s own weight and gravity, with careful hand placements, to bring about change. Some people might notice a fleeting, mild discomfort when a particularly sore spot is addressed, but this is often described as a satisfying or even “good” ache—more a sign of release than of real pain. Generally, most find SOT to be a calming, reassuring experience and, certainly, a far cry from anything you’d see in an action-film chiropractic montage.
SOT is Based on a 3-category system where the patient is placed into one of these categories below:
Category 3:
Deals with those in acute pain. This could be due to something like a disc herniation, acute sprain of the spine, acute facet syndrome etc.
In this category we are focused on getting the patient out of pain and starting the process of returning proper function to the tissue. This entails a very gentle approach. We use pelvic blocks placed at very specific angles to stabilize the pelvis and spine. We also use ice and heat therapy depending on the time elapsed between injury and treatment, to reduce swelling or ease pain.
SOT Category 3 is particularly relevant for anyone experiencing sudden or severe discomfort in areas such as the head, neck, back, pelvis, or extremities—including feet, ankles, knees, hips, hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Conditions like temporomandibular (TMJ) pain and acute musculoskeletal injuries often fall into this group, making the gentle and targeted support especially beneficial.
We also focus on getting the patient to move correctly. This prevents re-injury to the area and gets the tissue moving correctly so that the new tissue being formed (scar tissue), aligns with normal movement patterns which increases the tissues ability to return to proper function.
Category 2:
This category deals more with structure, biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system, and cranial sutures and their effects on the nervous system.
The patient is more stable and we focus more on structural issues, for example, a long-standing pelvic rotation co-committing with spinal misalignments and fixations. Treatment now turns to restoring proper biomechanics (the way the patient moves and holds themselves) to the spine and extremities. We remove restrictions (subluxations) in the spine where needed using gentle mobilization along with blocks placed at specific angles to promote proper movement. We also adjust (very specific mobilization) the spine and give exercises to help restore proper movement patterns, which lay down new neural pathways or movement habits.
Adjusting the spine and extremities removes the fixations and restores normal movement to the joint. The joint becomes healthier and something called proprioception or ‘positional sense’ to the central nervous system is restored. Joints which don’t have proper or full movement cannot send appropriate signals to the central nervous system on their position in space. When this occurs, the nervous system in turn cannot give the appropriate output to the muscles and tendons for stabilization and movement.
Restoring this balance in the nervous system has a profound effect not only on the involved joint, but globally—as each aberrant motion pattern caused by subluxation not only causes compensations elsewhere in the spine or skeletal system, but also affects the flow of energy through the whole body via the nervous system. Everything in the body is regulated through the nervous system: from the glands of the endocrine system, to the mobility of the gut, and even the immune system. The whole body is regulated by the nerves that exit the spine and cranium.
Category 1:
Deals more with the autonomic system, cranium and the viscera (internal organs) and the flow of cerebral spinal fluid that bathes the nervous system. This CSF has a multitude of functions including nourishing the nervous system acting as a suspension for the neural tissue and crucially affecting neural tissue and glands.
This is an involved category and merits a blog all on its own. In this category, the focus addresses the balance between the autonomic and central nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system consists of 2 parts: the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. It regulates smooth muscle like the gut, blood vessels, cardiac muscle (heart) and glands. An imbalance here, has profound effects on health.
Cat 1 also involves the manipulation of the viscera in a technique called CMRT (Chiropractic Manual Reflex Technique), which is used to stimulate organs and restore motility and nerve flow to them to bring about homeostasis. (Balance within its internal environment)
Cranial Adjusting:
In Cat 1 and Cat 2 we still look at the spine, but we also do cranial adjusting which focuses on restoring movement of the cranial bones and to restores proper flow of the Cerebrospinal fluid. (CSF)
When we breathe, the skull and the meninges (membranes which house the spinal cord, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid) move with the sacrum (tail bone), creating a pump mechanism which helps circulate CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) around our spinal cord and brain. When our pelvis, spine, and cranium have aberrant movement patterns, this mechanism is affected, and the flow of the CSF becomes hampered.
This vital relationship between the base of the spine (the sacrum) and the base of the skull (the occiput) is at the heart of the Sacro Occipital concept. The sacrum and cranium work together, reciprocally assisting in the movement of cerebrospinal fluid throughout the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system. By ensuring that both the sacrum and the cranium are moving as they should, we help maintain the natural rhythm and flow of CSF, which is essential for nourishing the nervous system and supporting overall health.
People with shallow breath also affect this system’s ability to function at its optimum. Stress is a big player here. Notice how those who are stressed breath shallow and rapidly. Restoring proper breath cycle is also important in restoring proper cranial and sacral movement. Yoga is great, especially along with pranayama yoga (breath control), as it reduces stress.