In chiropractic, a blockage is a misalignment or displacement of joints of the spine. It can be triggered suddenly by unusual strain, for example lifting heavy loads while bending over, by long-term poor posture with curvature of the spine, or by holding awkward positions for long periods at work.
Blockages can also occur after accidents such as whiplash of the cervical spine. In some cases, diseases of internal organs also trigger secondary blockages of the spine via reflexes.
Pain signals picked up by sensors in the joint capsule cause the muscles around the affected vertebra to tense up, fixing the joint in its misaligned position.
How are blockages diagnosed? The doctor makes the diagnosis by looking at and testing the mobility of the vertebrae and joints.
Blocked vertebrae can be recognised by the fact that they stop abruptly when moved in one direction, whereas the movement of healthy vertebrae normally ends elastically. In this way, the doctor identifies a free side and a blocked side of the joint.
In the muscles around the blockage there are hardened areas, so-called irritation zones, which are often very tender to pressure and change their shape and size with movement.