SOT Chiropractic and Cranial Therapy for Dizziness in Seniors
Updated: Oct 20
Dizziness can turn simple movements into risky moments, especially for older adults. Getting out of bed, turning the head, or lying down on a treatment table can suddenly feel unsafe. When the usual explanations do not fit, care becomes more complex.
A case series by Christine Benner, DC, LAc, MS, looked at three older adults with severe, unresolved dizziness. The patients were 68, 72, and 75 years old. Their dizziness had lasted from days to months, and prior care, including medication and treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, did not resolve it.
The report explored a different clinical idea: that pelvic torsion, cervical mechanics, cranial motion, fascia, and vestibular function may be connected in ways that affect balance. This does not prove a cure for dizziness, but it does offer a thoughtful look at how SOT chiropractic and cranial therapy for dizziness in seniors may be considered in select cases.
Dizziness in seniors needs careful evaluation
Dizziness is not a diagnosis by itself. It is a symptom with many possible causes, including inner ear disorders, blood pressure changes, medication effects, dehydration, neurological problems, vision changes, and neck-related movement issues.
In older adults, dizziness also raises the risk of falls. That makes proper evaluation vital.
The patients in this case series were described as having severe non-pathological dizziness, meaning their symptoms were not linked to an obvious disease process found through prior care. They had also received treatment for BPPV, a common inner ear condition that can cause spinning sensations with position changes. Those efforts did not solve the problem.
That detail matters. The case series was not about replacing medical care. It described what happened when three patients still had dizziness after more common pathways did not bring relief.
Anyone with sudden or severe dizziness should seek medical attention, especially when it comes with:
Weakness, numbness, or facial drooping
Trouble speaking or confusion
Chest pain or shortness of breath
A new severe headache
Fainting
New vision changes
Trouble walking or loss of coordination
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.
What SOT care focused on in the case series
Sacro occipital technique, often called SOT, is a chiropractic method that looks closely at the relationship between the pelvis, spine, sacrum, skull, and nervous system. In this case series, the care plan included several parts.
The first was category-one prone block placement. In SOT, category-one patterns often relate to pelvic torsion and the function of the sacrum and pelvis. The patient lies face down while padded blocks are placed in specific positions. The goal is to reduce strain and support a more balanced pelvic position.
The second part was cervical stairstep adjusting, a chiropractic approach directed at the neck. Since the head and neck help guide balance, motion, and visual orientation, this part of care addressed the upper spinal component of the dizziness pattern.
The third part involved cranial techniques. The report mentions work with the temporal bones on opposite sides, including internal and external temporal bone adjusting, along with techniques related to the sphenobasilar symphysis, the area where the sphenoid and occipital bones meet at the base of the skull.
These are specialized techniques. They require knowledge of anatomy, gentle application, and clinical judgment. The case series described them as part of a combined approach, not as isolated procedures.
Why the pelvis might matter when symptoms feel like they are in the head
At first, it may seem odd to connect dizziness with the pelvis. Dizziness feels like a head or inner ear problem. Yet the body does not manage balance through one system alone.
Balance depends on several inputs working together:
The vestibular system in the inner ear senses motion and position.
Vision helps orient the body in space.
Joints, muscles, and fascia provide position sense.
The neck helps coordinate head position and eye movement.
The feet, pelvis, and spine help the body respond to gravity.
The case series points to fascial continuity as one possible explanation. Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds and links muscles, bones, organs, nerves, and blood vessels. Because fascia is continuous through the body, tension or distortion in one region may influence how other regions move.
The author suggests that pelvic torsion could affect the entire kinematic chain, reaching through the spine and into the cranial and dural-meningeal system. The dura is a protective membrane around the brain and spinal cord. If the head is constantly trying to right itself over a rotated or strained pelvis, that compensation may place extra stress on visual and vestibular righting mechanisms.
This is a hypothesis, not a settled fact. Still, it gives clinicians a useful question to ask when dizziness does not respond to typical care: Is the body being forced to balance around a distorted base?
What happened for the three patients
The most striking part of the case series was the timing of symptom change.
According to the report, patients experienced dizziness when getting down onto the treatment table. Yet when it was time to get up after treatment, they were not dizzy and noticed that their dizziness had resolved. The effects also appeared to last. Within days, the patients were no longer suffering from dizziness.
That is a meaningful clinical observation, especially because the patients had not responded to medication or prior BPPV treatment. Still, it should be read with care.
A case series of three people can show what happened in a small group. It cannot prove that the treatment caused the result for all patients with similar dizziness. There was no control group, no blinding, and no way to rule out all other factors. The report is best viewed as an early clinical observation that may guide further study.
What makes it useful is the pattern. Three older adults had unresolved dizziness. A combined SOT, cervical, and cranial approach was used. Their symptoms improved quickly and appeared to stay improved over the following days.
What this means for dizziness care
The case series supports a broader way of thinking about dizziness. It suggests that some cases may involve more than the inner ear alone, especially when standard BPPV care does not work.
A careful clinician may need to look at:
Pelvic balance and torsion patterns
Neck mobility and upper cervical mechanics
Cranial motion and temporal bone function
Visual orientation and head-righting patterns
General fall risk and medication history
For patients, the key takeaway is not to self-diagnose. It is to seek a careful evaluation, especially if dizziness is persistent, severe, or unusual. When common causes have been screened and addressed, a trained practitioner may consider whether spine, pelvis, and cranial factors are part of the picture.
The report also reminds healthcare providers to stay curious. A symptom felt in one area may involve movement patterns across the whole body.
Dizziness in seniors deserves careful attention because it affects confidence, mobility, and safety. This small case series does not offer a final answer, but it raises a thoughtful possibility: in select unresolved cases, treating the pelvis, neck, and cranium together may help restore the body’s sense of balance.
Effects of sacro occipital technique (SOT) chiropractic and cranial therapy on dizziness in three patients 68, 72, and 75-years-old: A case seriesChristine Benner, DC, LAc, MS
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