Frequently asked questions

No. SOT works to a great extent by specifically positioning the body to use the weight of the body to correct the body. This occurs because of an interaction between the specific position the body is in and the motion of the body caused by normal breathing. Many times the patient will feel very relaxed during the adjustment and even take a nap. There is some pain when specific points of correction are located. This is more like a "good pain" than a "bad pain" and serves mostly to let the doctor and patient know that a point needing correction has been found.

SOT concerns itself primarily with the cranial sacral respiratory mechanism. This is a wavelike oscillation in the covering of the brain and spinal cord. Although quite subtle, this motion is essential for the normal functioning of the brain and spinal cord, and thereby the rest of the nervous system and the rest of the body. It functions much like breathing air, in that it has a cyclic tightening and loosening phase. Ordinary respiration - breathing air in and out - also affects and can be used to normalise cranial sacral respiratory action. The normal function of the cranial sacral respiratory mechanism is recognised as a primary function of life in the body and must be normal if all functions of the body are to be normal.

Like other chiropractic techniques, SOT also corrects abnormal spinal mechanics and any associated nerve problems. These can include back pain, headaches, dizziness, arm and leg pains.

SOT is composed of highly accurate and effective procedures developed by Dr. Major B. De Jarnette. Dr De Jarnette spent most of his life conducting clinical investigation into what works in chiropractic and what makes chiropractic work. Many of the experiments he first tried on himself so that he was aware of the results first hand. He also recruited others to be patients while he tested the procedures. By means of these repeated, peer-reviewed tests, he determined the true nature of the spinal subluxation* and how it could most efficiently be corrected. He also determined when the correction of the spinal subluxation was not enough and devised visceral manipulation procedures. Visceral procedures are used to help normalise organ function without the use of drugs or surgery.

SOT also recognises the important role of normal cranial function in health and disease. The cranial bones and other cranial structures can cause central nervous system problems that are often overlooked or ignored by most other chiropractic systems.

*Spinal subluxation: A disorder of the spinal, pelvic or cranial bones which is interfering with, or prohibits the correction of, the secretion, fluctuation and absorption of cerebro spinal fluid.

The chance of injury during any chiropractic adjustment is very, very small. Recent research has shown the likelihood to be less than one in 6 million. Most of the injuries that have occurred have involved the neck and happened during non-SOT visits.

The average chiropractor pays about $2,000 to $3,000 per year for malpractice insurance. A medical doctor can pay $2,000 per week for malpractice insurance. This gives an accurate indication of the relative danger involved.

SOT has been shown to be clinically effective in thousands of offices worldwide. This method of health care is constantly improving and finding new proof of it's effectiveness. Many of the other chiropractic techniques use principles that were originally discovered and written by Dr. DeJarnette. The validity of Dr. DeJarnette's research is proven every day by the practice of these techniques. As specialists in Sacro Occipital Technic, the chiropractors listed on this website are trained in SOT and diligently apply all of their skill, knowledge, and judgment to every adjustment they give. Their effort is to apply SOT as Dr. De Jarnette developed it. This is the proven method and the one that is most often found to be effective.

SOT stands for Sacro Occipital Technic (or Technique). "Sacro" means "related to, or associated with," the sacrum. The sacrum is the foundation for the spine. The sacrum is often called the tail bone though this is not exactly correct. "Occipital" means "related to or associated with the occiput. Occiput means "the back of the head". So, SOT is a method of normalizing the relationship between the foundation of the spine and the top of the spine. It is this relationship and how these two bones get along with one another, that has been proven to be so important in the normal functioning of the brain and spinal cord.

Dr. De Jarnette used the word "Technic" in the title of all of his Sacro Occipital Technic books.
He used the word "Technique" in the title of his cranial and CMRT books and to describe most of the individual procedures in the Sacro Occipital Technic books.

Remember that Dr. De Jarnette was an engineer before he was a chiropractor. And in engineering, the words have specifically different meanings.

"Technic" is a set of procedures that can be done by anyone and applies to all situations. "Technique" implies an individuals' use of his own skill, knowledge and judgment, resulting in a slight variation of what he learned as a "Technic" that works for him.
"Technic" is never used in describing Chiropractic Craniopathy or Chiropractic Manipulative Reflex Technique. That is because they are an art more than a science and so are done by the individual doctor in their own manner. They really cannot be taught as a "Technic". There are too many variables.

I insist on using the terms as Dr. De Jarnette used them, not because Dr. De Jarnette wrote it that way, but because it is the only correct use of the two terms.

I express my gratitude Drs. Skip Saderlund, Ned Heese and Dave Beltakis for their contributions to my understanding of the difference of these terms.
David Rozeboom DC, CC

SOT is proven to obtain lasting results in a short time. These results are demonstrated as reduced pain and improved function in all parts of the body. A patient just starting with SOT care will often notice such a great improvement in a short time that they will feel they are completely healed. But with the precise diagnostic methods of SOT, problems in the body can be detected even though they are not causing pain. So it is a wise investment on the patient's part to stay with a program of care that detects problems before they start to hurt. The old saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin applies: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Yes. Any SOT adjustment will improve the functioning of the body, which is health. This improvement may not be readily apparent to the doctor or the patient, but it is there. Since it is very difficult to predict what is going to happen with one's health, it is doubly difficult to say that a particular procedure prevented a bad occurrence in one's health. But, clinical experience and scientific investigation over the years have shown that SOT is in the forefront of those procedures that improve health.

Getting rid of pain is important. At all times, during an SOT adjustment, the comfort of the patient is considered. But eliminating or killing the pain is not the main goal of a chiropractic SOT adjustment. The true goal of an adjustment, and particularly an SOT adjustment, is to normalise the function of the entire body. The central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - is the avenue of approach. The brain and spinal cord are used for this purpose because all studies of the human body show that their function is the primary function of the body. They act to control all other functions of the body as well. So, normalisation of this function is the primary goal. As this goal is obtained, the pain will go away. But elimination of pain is simply a side effect of normalising the cranial sacral respiratory mechanism.