This gentle technique was invented by Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette a pioneer in osteopathy and chiropractic. Its technology has been refined and completed over more than half a century and has proven itself in numerous examinations, studies and clinical applications.

The focus of the care is the restoration of the nerve function and a healthy circulation of CSF (cerebral spinal fluid). For this purpose, the free mobility of the sacrum and the cranial bones as well as the meninges and breathing are checked. Incorrect tension in the meninges and spinal cord membranes as well as an impaired or changed flow of the CSF can impair the function of the nervous system. As a result, there may be various symptoms of disease.

Dr. DeJarnette’s years of research into human structures and their disorders led to a division of the symptom pictures into three different categories, which correspond to different stages of health loss. After the division into the appropriate category, independent and specific care is provided according to the SOT system, which provides for different types of positioning of the body. It is supported by specially arranged, wedge-shaped blocks in the area of the pelvis, which creates gentle and targeted pressure.
Gravity and breathing support the slow movement that now takes place in the correct posture. The entire body is holistically adjusted. Healing
processes are set in motion and existing pain often disappears within
seconds.

Together with manual organ therapy (MOT) and craniopathy, the SOT combines to form the most comprehensive chiropractic discipline.

This decompression adjustment was developed by Dr. James Cox. The central aid here is a specially designed table that enables flexion and distraction of the spine and is utilized in a wide variety of spinal disorders, including acute and painful herniated discs.

The table enables gentle and rhythmic pulling and pushing movements that have a pumping effect on the intervertebral space and the intervertebral disc. The stressed nerves are relieved, which eases pain and relaxes the muscles. With repeated use, the intervertebral discs and vertebral joints can return to their natural position. Inflammatory and painful processes caused by pressure can be reduced. The restored natural mobility leads to a healing of the disorder. With this method it is particularly important to analyze the exact position of the affected spinal segments using X-rays or MRI images.

Developed by Clarence S. Gonstead this technique is considered to be one of the safest methods of chiropractic, because subluxations can only be remedied manually by applying targeted pressure to the affected vertebra – without any rotational movements! As with all techniques, the adjustment is preceded by a specific examination of the spine in order to precisely adjust the subluxations. It was particularly important to Dr. Gonstead to find the exact location of the disturbances and not to adjust all hypo or hyper-mobile vertebrae. It is true that when adjusting mere compensations, a “crack” can often be generated, which provides short-term relief, however the primary goal of chiropractic care is to remedy the cause not just to “crack” the spine. If the original subluxation is adjusted, the compensations created in a chain reaction often self-correct. For the precise localization of the subluxation, the Gonstead technique originally used x-ray image analysis and the Nervo-Scope®. However, modern devices and technologies such as the Insight Millennium® optimally complement the previous investigation.

The cervical spine is the most flexible, and most delicate section of our spine. The nerve fibers adjacent to and exiting from it control and regulate central functions such as breathing. It is of particular importance in chiropractic because of both its proximity to the brain stem and the vital functions regulated by the associated nerve fibers. Because of its filigree and flexible nature the cervical spine reacts to the smallest stimuli and can be adjusted very successfully to create an enormous and profound impact on overall health. Chiropractic uses a wide variety of safe and effective techniques to adjust subluxations in the cervical area.

With the assistance of technical instruments, very specific impulses can be given during the adjustment. The best known are the mechanically operated
activator with adjustable pulse strength and the ArthroStim, an electrically operated pulse generator that reacts to the force used by the practitioner and emits a pulse frequency of 12 impacts / second in order to achieve effective excitation of the mechano-receptors.

In the 1930s, Dr. B.J. Palmer developed a new theory that differentiated chiropractic from all other methods, the so-called hole / whole-in- one principle (HIO principle). He was of the opinion that only the first two cervical vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis due to their anatomical peculiarities, could be moved in all three dimensions and consequently blocked. He referred to correction of only the first two cervical vertebrae, C1 and C2 as Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic care. If only this area were to be adjusted, then there would be an automatic self-correction of all vertebrae below. His theory sparked fierce controversy that continues to the present day. In fact, the upper part of the cervical spine is exposed to the most violent influences beginning at birth, and it can be that subluxations are already present. These may initially go unnoticed, but later, as a result of potential compensations and possible further subluxations, it can lead to serious health problems. Research shows that correction of the Upper Cervical spine alone triggers sustainable healing processes!

However, it cannot be ruled out that the original subluxation occurred in another area and that the diagnosed subluxation in the upper cervical is merely a consequence of this. Before beginning care, it is important to find out when and how the first subluxation occurred by taking a thorough medical history that would include all past traumas, injuries, and surgeries. Then the chiropractor conducts a detailed preliminary examination of the patient with all available means. Only then should a decision be made as to whether an atlas adjustment is an option.

Cranial techniques, are an important component of SOT, and a special method of chiropractic, in which the attention is given to the jaw and skull with its individual bone and the fine micro-movements at the sutures of the bone plates. Even slight shifts in these so-called cranial sutures have an effect on the distribution and mobility of the cerebrospinal fluid and the protective tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meninges). This influence creates states of tension that continue throughout the entire spine thereby creating a negative impact on the central nervous system and may cause problems in the lower spine. Conversely a subluxation in the pelvic area can cause problems in the upper spine and not just local nerve disorder. This demonstrates how important the exact localization of a subluxation is and that the disorder is not always where symptoms occur.

Thompson Terminal Point Technique (Thompson Technique or TTPT for short) developed by Dr. J. Clay Thompson, focuses primarily on leg length as a reliable method of analysis. Nerve interference due to Subluxation (nerve interference due to compromised spinal integirty), often creates an uneven muscle tone. This imbalance is reflected in different leg lengths. If the patient turns his head left and right in the prone position, the chiropractor can use the change in relative leg lengths to determine which direction one or more cervical vertebrae have shifted. Further analysis enables the chiropractor to identify subluxations in the rest of the spine, ribs, and pelvis. The technique is carried out on special tables with individual segments that can be lifted and then dropped with an impulse.

American Dr. Tedd Koren used existing chiropractic, neuro-emotional, craniosacral and visceral osteopathic techniques to develop an examination and adjustment method that focuses on the region of the back of the head and incorporates the biofeedback mechanism. A disturbance within the muscular system that erects the spine – triggered by physical and psychological trauma that still stresses the body and can also lead to subluxations – manifests itself in minimally palpable movements of the muscles on the back of the head to one side. The body gives a signal and thus an indication of the disorder. Such consciously imperceptible body signals can be felt by the practitioner and show him/her where an correction is necessary. The subsequent adjustment can take place anywhere on the body and in any posture and is carried out using low-force techniques. The special thing about this technique is that the triggering trauma that has manifested itself in the body tissue can best be resolved in the exact position in which it originated. So the body first remembers the traumatic situation and then learns that, for example, constant tension is no longer necessary by following the impulse that resolves the disturbance.