Conditions We Treat — Beyond Back Pain | Pura Vida Chiropractic San Antonio

Most people come to a chiropractor for back pain. Many leave having discovered that chiropractic — specifically the Advanced SOT approach practiced at Pura Vida — addresses a far wider range of health conditions than they ever imagined.

The Pura Vida Protocol operates on three pillars: SOT for the spine and pelvis, CMRT for the internal organs, and SOT Craniopathy for the cranium and nervous system. Each pillar has its own clinical scope — and together, they create a framework capable of addressing conditions that extend well beyond the structural complaints most people associate with chiropractic.

Below is the full scope of what Dr. Dan Foss assesses and treats at Pura Vida Chiropractic.

Spinal and Structural Conditions (SOT — Pillar 1)

Sacro Occipital Technique addresses the pelvis as the structural foundation of the entire spine, using a precise category system to guide treatment. Pillar 1 is the structural backbone of the Pura Vida Protocol and the entry point for the majority of patients.

Chronic Low Back Pain Especially recurring low back pain that cycles in and out despite repeated treatment. SOT's Category II analysis identifies sacroiliac hypermobility — the most common and most mismanaged structural driver of recurrent low back pain. Pelvic blocking stabilizes the joint rather than manipulating it into further instability.

Sciatica and Lumbar Radiculopathy Nerve compression from pelvic imbalance, disc involvement, or piriformis syndrome. SOT identifies the category and primary lesion, allowing targeted correction without the guesswork of symptom-chasing.

Disc Herniation and Bulge Category III SOT protocol is specifically designed for disc-involved cases — using spinal traction, decompression positioning, and precise adjusting to reduce disc pressure and support natural resorption. Many patients with disc herniations avoid surgery with this approach.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Hypermobility One of Pura Vida's primary specialties. Hypermobile SI joints are made worse by manipulation — SOT's blocking protocol is one of the few approaches that addresses the actual problem (instability) rather than imposing more motion on an already unstable joint.

Neck Pain and Cervicogenic Headaches Cervical dysfunction frequently originates in pelvic and cranial imbalance. Treating the neck alone — without addressing the dural tube tension from below (pelvis) and above (cranium) — produces limited results. The Pura Vida Protocol addresses all three levels.

Scoliosis Patterns Functional scoliosis driven by pelvic imbalance, dural tension, or cranial strain patterns responds to Pillar 1 and Pillar 3 treatment. Structural scoliosis receives SOT care focused on slowing progression and maintaining neurological function.

Whiplash and Auto Injury Sequelae Motor vehicle accidents simultaneously affect the spine, cranium, and in significant impacts, the internal organs. SOT assessment following auto injury goes beyond the cervical strain to evaluate the full structural and visceral impact.

Mid-Back and Thoracic Pain Thoracic dysfunction frequently has organ correlates — the thoracic vertebrae map directly to the liver, gallbladder, stomach, adrenals, and kidneys. Thoracic pain that persists after structural treatment alone often resolves when Pillar 2 organ work is added.

Hip Pain and Imbalance Pelvic torsion, leg length discrepancy, and sacroiliac dysfunction all contribute to hip pain. SOT analysis distinguishes structural from functional leg length difference — a distinction that changes the treatment entirely.

Shoulder Pain Structural shoulder pain from postural imbalance — and organ-referred shoulder pain from the liver and gallbladder via phrenic nerve referral (right shoulder). Both are assessed and treated at Pura Vida.

Knee, Ankle, and Foot Pain from Pelvic Imbalance The kinematic cascade from pelvic torsion frequently manifests in the knees, ankles, and feet. Correcting the structural base often resolves peripheral joint complaints that have been treated locally without success.

Work Injury and Repetitive Stress Occupational injuries, repetitive strain syndromes, and postural dysfunction from desk work all have structural roots that SOT addresses precisely.

Organ and Visceral Conditions — CMRT (Pillar 2)

CMRT (Chiropractic Manipulative Reflex Technique) is the organ-adjusting branch of Advanced SOT. Through viscero-somatic and somato-visceral reflex pathways, the spine and internal organs are in continuous two-way communication. When that communication is disrupted — by spinal subluxation reducing nerve supply to an organ, or by a stressed organ driving a vertebra back into dysfunction — CMRT addresses both directions of the reflex loop simultaneously.

This is the section of Pura Vida's scope that most surprises patients. Most people do not know that a chiropractor can address these conditions. Practitioners with Advanced SOT training can — because they have the organ-spinal map, the Chapman's reflex assessment tools, and the visceral contact technique to do it.

Digestive Conditions

• Acid Reflux and GERD: The T5 segment directly innervates the stomach's acid-regulating and motility mechanisms. Chronic T5 subluxation impairs that innervation. CMRT addresses both the vertebra and the stomach reflex simultaneously.
• Gastritis: Chronic gastric inflammation with a structural and autonomic component.
• Constipation and Diarrhea: Large intestine function correlates with lower thoracic and lumbar segments; autonomic balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic output governs motility.
• IBS-Type Presentations: Functional bowel dysfunction with spinal and organ reflex origins.
• Ileocecal Valve Dysfunction: One of the most clinically significant and underrecognized CMRT presentations. The ileocecal valve (ICV) — between the small and large intestine — can become stuck open or closed, producing right hip pain, pseudo-appendicitis pain, alternating constipation and diarrhea, and bloating. Chapman's point assessment at the right iliac fossa is frequently positive in these patients.
• Bloating and Slow Motility: Autonomic dysregulation of gastric and intestinal pace.

Liver and Gallbladder

• Gallbladder Dysfunction: T6-T9 segments innervate the gallbladder. Active right-chest Chapman's points combined with thoracic restriction in this range indicate gallbladder involvement.
• Liver Congestion: Right costal margin Chapman's points and right-sided thoracic restriction.
• Right Shoulder Pain with Visceral Origin: One of the most commonly missed diagnoses in musculoskeletal practice. The phrenic nerve, which supplies the diaphragm and carries sensory input from the liver and gallbladder capsule, refers pain to the right shoulder. Patients with this pattern have often exhausted orthopedic treatment without resolution — because the source is not the shoulder.
• Difficulty Digesting Fats: Gallbladder and bile insufficiency with structural correlates.

Adrenal and Stress Conditions

• Adrenal Fatigue: T9-T11 is the adrenal segment. Chronic restriction here reduces autonomic nerve supply to the adrenal glands, impairing cortisol production. This is the structural explanation for the fatigue, salt cravings, difficulty waking, and stress intolerance that characterize adrenal burnout — and it is a solvable structural problem.
• Chronic Fatigue and Burnout: Often adrenal in origin at the structural level.
• Cortisol Dysregulation: Disrupted diurnal cortisol pattern with T9-T11 involvement.
• Afternoon Energy Crashes: Classic adrenal fatigue presentation with spinal correlates.

Immune and Respiratory

• Chronic Allergies: Upper thoracic segments and vagal tone govern immune reactivity and airway hyperresponsiveness.
• Asthma and Bronchospasm: T1-T5 innervation of the bronchi and pulmonary vasculature.
• Recurrent Respiratory Infections: Low immune resilience with structural and autonomic correlates.
• Chronic Sinus Congestion: Upper cervical and cranial component (Pillar 3 often overlaps here).

Hormonal and Reproductive Conditions

• PMS and Menstrual Cramps: The sacral plexus (L1-S4) is the autonomic highway to the uterus and ovaries. Sacral dysfunction directly impairs that nerve supply.
• Irregular and Painful Cycles: Pelvic and sacral structural involvement in cycle regulation.
• Menopausal Symptoms: Spinal and pelvic component to hormonal transition.
• Fertility Challenges: Uterine and ovarian function via sacral plexus; pituitary function via sphenoid (Pillar 3 overlap).
• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Sacral nerve supply to pelvic floor musculature.

Kidney and Bladder

• Low Back Pain with Fluid Retention: T10-L2 kidney segment — when low back pain is accompanied by puffiness, blood pressure changes, or urinary irregularities, kidney involvement is screened.
• Urinary Frequency and Urgency: Bladder innervation via sacral plexus.
• Blood Pressure with Structural Correlation: Kidney-adrenal axis with spinal components at T9-L2.

Blood Sugar Regulation

• Hypoglycemia and Blood Sugar Fluctuations: T7-T10 innervates the pancreas. Chronic restriction in this range impairs both insulin and glucagon regulation.
• Pre-Diabetic Metabolic Patterns: Pancreatic insufficiency with structural component.

Men's Health

• Prostate Health and Pelvic Tension: L3-S3 innervates the prostate and pelvic floor. Chronic sacral and lumbar restriction in these segments is assessed in men presenting with prostate or pelvic complaints.
• Chronic Pelvic Pain: Sacral plexus involvement with pelvic floor and visceral components.

Cranial and Neurological Conditions — SOT Craniopathy (Pillar 3)

The 22 bones of the skull continue to move throughout adult life, driven by the rhythmic production and reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid. When cranial bone motion is restricted, the effects ripple through the entire nervous system — disrupting CSF flow, compressing cranial nerves, maintaining dural tension throughout the spine, and impairing the function of structures that pass through or are housed within the cranial vault.

Head and Neurological Conditions

• Chronic Headaches: Cranial bone restriction, dural tension, and cervicogenic components — often all three simultaneously.
• Migraines (Especially One-Sided): Temporal bone torque, SBS torsion patterns, and vascular changes driven by cranial nerve compression are frequently at the root of unilateral migraine presentations.
• Post-Concussion Syndrome: Cranial bones displaced at impact often remain displaced — producing a constellation of symptoms (headache, cognitive fog, light sensitivity, mood changes, sleep disruption) that persist long after the acute injury. Cranial correction addressing the specific bones affected at impact is the most targeted approach available.
• Traumatic Brain Injury Sequelae: Structural cranial component to chronic TBI symptoms.
• Cognitive Fog: CSF flow compromise, frontal bone restriction, and vagal tone reduction all contribute.
• Sleep Disruption: Cranial autonomic involvement in sleep-wake regulation.
• Trigeminal Neuralgia: Compression of CN V at the cranial foramina.

Ear, Nose, and Throat

• Vertigo and Dizziness: Temporal bone torque compressing the internal auditory meatus and CN VIII is one of the most common and most effectively treated cranial presentations.
• Tinnitus: CN VIII compression from temporal bone dysfunction.
• Ear Fullness: Eustachian tube compression from inferior temporal bone torque.
• Chronic Ear Infections (Children): Temporal bone torque prevents Eustachian tube drainage — children who receive cranial correction experience a dramatic reduction in ear infection frequency.
• Chronic Sinus Congestion: Sphenoidal and frontal bone restriction, maxilla dysfunction — structural sinus obstruction that does not respond to medication.
• Hearing Changes: CN VIII compression with structural origin.

Jaw and Facial Conditions

• TMJ and TMD Dysfunction: The temporal bone forms the glenoid fossa — the socket of the jaw joint. Temporal dysfunction is among the most common structural drivers of TMJ pain, clicking, and locking. Dental appliances address the joint; cranial correction addresses the socket.
• Jaw Clicking and Locking: Temporal bone and sphenoid involvement.
• Facial Asymmetry: Cranial strain patterns that manifest visibly in facial structure.
• Tooth Pain Without Dental Cause: Cranial nerve compression and maxilla dysfunction.

Posture and Spine

• Forward Head Posture: Often driven by airway compromise and cranial compensation rather than pure muscular imbalance.
• Cervicogenic Dizziness: Upper cervical and cranial base involvement.
• Adjustments That Will Not Hold: The most common indicator that cranial correction is needed — dural tube tension from cranial restriction is defeating the spinal corrections below.

Pediatric Cranial Conditions

• Plagiocephaly (Flat Head Syndrome): Birth-related cranial bone compression or torque that has not self-resolved. The earlier the intervention, the faster the response — under 12 months is optimal.
• Birth Trauma Sequelae: Cranial compression from forceps, vacuum extraction, prolonged labor, or C-section delivery.
• Nursing and Latching Difficulty: Occipital and temporal restriction affecting CN IX (glossopharyngeal) and CN XII (hypoglossal), which govern sucking and swallowing mechanics.
• Infant Colic: Vagal tone, gastric motility, and cranial autonomic involvement.
• Infant Torticollis: Cranial and upper cervical component — often resolves rapidly with gentle cranial correction.
• Recurrent Ear Infections: Temporal bone correction is the most targeted structural approach.
• Developmental and Speech Delays: Cranial structural component to neurological development in some children.

Hormonal and Autonomic

• Pituitary Function: The sphenoid houses the pituitary gland — sphenoidal restriction directly affects the master endocrine gland.
• Vagal Tone: The vagus nerve exits through the jugular foramen between the occiput and temporal bones. Occipital restriction reduces vagal output to the heart, gut, and immune system.
• Hormone Regulation: Pituitary and hypothalamic structural environment.
• Sleep-Wake Disruption: Autonomic and circadian involvement from cranial restriction.

Auto Injury Conditions

Motor vehicle accidents are one of the most clinically complex presentations in chiropractic — because the impact affects the spine, cranium, and internal organs simultaneously, often in ways that are not apparent in the acute phase but compound over weeks and months.

• Whiplash and Cervical Strain: Cervical ligamentous injury with upper cervical and cranial components that standard whiplash care often misses.
• Concussion and TBI from Impact: Cranial bones displaced at impact require assessment and correction — the neurological sequelae of concussion frequently persist precisely because the structural cranial component was not addressed.
• Lower Back and SI Joint Injury: Pelvic Category II from impact force — hypermobile SI joints that are often treated with manipulation when they need stabilization.
• Thoracic Spine Compression: Seat belt compression forces and airbag impact.
• Cranial Bone Trauma (Often Undiagnosed): Among the most commonly missed diagnoses in auto injury — skull contact with headrest, window, or steering wheel can displace cranial bones that are never assessed in emergency or standard post-accident care.
• Chronic Pain Patterns Developing After Accidents: Many post-accident chronic pain presentations have a cranial component as their structural driver.

When All Three Pillars Connect

Some conditions are best understood as presentations where all three pillars are involved simultaneously:

Post-Concussion Syndrome: The cranium absorbs the impact, displacing bones and disrupting CSF flow (Pillar 3). The force transmits down the dural tube to the spine and pelvis (Pillar 1). Autonomic dysregulation from vagal compression affects gut function and immune tone (Pillar 2 overlap). Treating only the spine — or only the head — after a concussion leaves significant clinical territory unaddressed.

Fibromyalgia Patterns: Dural tube hypertonicity (Pillar 3 driven), organ-spinal reflex facilitation contributing to widespread sensitization (Pillar 2), and structural imbalance perpetuating chronic pain (Pillar 1). The three-pillar framework provides a structural and autonomic map for a condition that standard medicine has not been able to explain mechanically.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: Post-surgical patients with persistent pain often have cranial, organ, and structural drivers that surgery did not address — and in some cases created. The Pura Vida Protocol offers a non-invasive framework for finding and addressing what remains.

Children with Multiple Developmental Challenges: When a child presents with plagiocephaly, recurrent ear infections, speech delay, and attention difficulties, these are rarely unrelated. They are frequently the multisystem expression of birth-related cranial trauma that has been addressed symptom by symptom, in isolation, rather than as a structural whole.

A Note on Our Approach

Not every condition on this list will respond to chiropractic care — and when it will not, Dr. Foss says so and refers appropriately. The Pura Vida Protocol is not a replacement for medicine; it is a structural and neurological framework that addresses a dimension of health that medicine rarely assesses.

What this list reflects is a clinical reality that most patients have never been told: many conditions that have been labeled as "functional," "idiopathic," or "chronic with no structural component" do have a structural and autonomic component. Often, it is an organ-spinal reflex loop that has been active for years. Often, it is a cranial restriction that has been driving symptoms since a birth, an accident, or a fall that happened decades ago. The reason it has not been found is not that it is not there — it is that the assessment tools that would find it were not in the clinical framework of the practitioners the patient has seen.

The Pura Vida Protocol is that framework.

Key Takeaways

• Pura Vida Chiropractic treats far more than back pain — the three-pillar system addresses spinal, organ, and cranial conditions as one integrated clinical scope.
• CMRT (Pillar 2) addresses organ conditions through viscero-somatic and somato-visceral reflex pathways — including digestive, adrenal, liver/gallbladder, hormonal, kidney, and immune conditions.
• SOT Craniopathy (Pillar 3) addresses cranial and neurological conditions — including headaches, vertigo, TMJ, post-concussion, ear infections, plagiocephaly, and pediatric developmental challenges.
• Auto injury care at Pura Vida assesses the spine, cranium, and organs simultaneously — because that is what accidents affect simultaneously.
• Dr. Dan Foss is the only Advanced SOT certified chiropractor in San Antonio — the only practitioner in the city with clinical access to all three pillars.

Ready to Find What's Actually Driving Your Problem?

If your condition is on this list — or if you have been told that nothing structural is driving your symptoms — the Pura Vida three-pillar assessment can tell you definitively whether a spinal, organ, or cranial component has been missed. The first visit is often the most informative clinical conversation patients have had about their health.

¿Tiene una condición que no ha mejorado con otros tratamientos? Le invitamos a descubrir si hay una causa estructural, visceral o craneal que aún no ha sido evaluada.

Call us at (210) 685-1994 or visit us at 2318 NW Military Hwy #103, San Antonio, TX 78231.