As a physical therapist, an important part of your job is to have an effective communication with your patients. Being able to describe their issues to them in detail, what to do to solve it, and how to do it. You also need to understand and be able to interpret all the patient’s signs of pain, as well as all the main spots of it. You need all the information in order to be able to treat them properly.
Since Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, chances are you may be treating lots of Spanish-speaking patients on a daily basis. If communication is a barrier the treatment may be affected, either by how much you can understand of the spoken language, or the depth and detail you can explain to your patient. These things can negatively affect the long-term health of your patients.
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That’s why in today’s blog, we’ll be giving you these tips to make our job easier.
1- USEFUL PHRASES:
Here we have a list of phrases to introduce yourself and investigate the source of pain, all of these phases are in a formal manner:
- Good morning, I’ll be your physical therapist, my name is (name here), it is a pleasure to meet you. – Buenos días, yo seré su fisioterapeuta, mi nombre es (name here), es un gusto conocerlo/la.
- Tell me what are the areas of your body that you feel pain in and when that pain started. – Cuénteme en que zonas de su cuerpo siente dolor y cuando comenzó el mismo.
- Have you fallen down, had any accident, or anything out of the ordinary that could have triggered this pain? – Ha usted tenido alguna caída, accidente o algo fuera de lo normal que pudo haber desencadenado este dolor?
| ENGLISH PHRASES | SPANISH PHRASES |
|---|---|
| My name is | Me llamo (your name) |
| I’m your Physical Therapist | Soy su fisioterapeuta |
| What’s your name? | Cómo se llama? or Cuál es su nombre? |
| How are you? | Cómo esta? |
| What happened to you? | Qué le pasó? |
| Did you fall? | Se cayó? |
| Did you have an accident? | Tuvo un accidente? |
| What happened? | Qué ocurrió? |
| When did it happen? | Cuando ocurrió? |
| How long have you had the problem? | Por cuánto tiempo ha tenido el problema? |
| Did it ever happen before? | Le ha ocurrido antes? |
| Do you have any relative with the same issue? | Tiene algún antecedente familiar con el mismo problema? |
| You had surgery. | Le practicaron una cirugía. |
| Where did you get hurt? | En dónde se lastimó? |
| What do you do for a living? | En qué trabaja? or A qué se dedica? |
| Where does it hurt? | Dónde le duele? |
| Point to the pain. | Señale dónde le duele. |
| Are you in pain? | Tiene dolor? |
| How much pain do you feel on a scale from 0 to 10? Being zero the absence of pain and ten the maximum level of pain. | En una escala del uno al diez que tan fuerte es su dolor? Con cero como la ausencia del dolor y diez siendo el dolor máximo. |
| If you have to describe your pain, you would say it is: | Si tuviera que describir el dolor, sería |
| Sharp | Agudo |
| Shooting | Súbito |
| Stabbing | Punzante |
| Dull | Sordo |
| Throbbing | Palpitante |
| Burning | Quemante |
| Do you have any numbness or tingling sensation in your body? | Tiene entumecimiento u hormigueo en alguna parte de su cuerpo? |
| What gives you relief from the pain? | Qué alivia el dolor? or ¿Qué calma el dolor? |
| Does it hurt when you walk, stand, sit, lift objects, bend, climb stairs or carry objects? | Le duele al caminar, pararse, sentarse, levantar objetos, agacharse, subir escaleras o trasportar objetos? |
| What are your goals for therapy? | Cuáles son sus objetivos con la terapia? |
| Is your (body part) rigid? | Es su (body part) rígida? |
2-PARTS OF THE BODY IN SPANISH:
• The left/right side of the back. – La zona izquierda/derecha de la espalda.
• The upper/lower side of the back. – La zona alta/baja de la espalda.
• Around the neck/arm/torso. – Alrededor del cuello/brazo/torso.
• Around the wrist/ leg/ waist. – Alrededor de la muñeca/pierna/ cintura.
| ENGLISH TERMS | SPANISH TERMS |
|---|---|
| Head | Cabeza |
| Eyes | Ojos |
| Ears | Orejas |
| Face | Cara |
| Neck | Cuello |
| Shoulder | Hombro |
| Nose | Nariz |
| Mouth | Boca |
| Chest | Pecho |
| Arm | Brazo |
| Elbow | Codo |
| Finger | Dedo |
| Thumb | Pulgar |
| Ring finger | Anular |
| Index finger | Índice |
| Pinky finger | Meñique |
| Forearm | Muñeca |
| Wrist | Muñeca |
| Hand | Mano |
| Hip | Cadera |
| Abdomen | Abdomen |
| Leg | Pierna |
| Thigh | Muslo |
| Knee | Rodilla |
| Groin | Ingle |
| Shin | Espinilla |
| Ankle | Tobillo |
| Foot | Pie |
| Toe | Dedo del pie |
| Scapula | Escápula |
| Back | Espalda |
| Spine | Columna vertebral |
| Buttocks | Glúteos |
| Heel | Talón |
| Calf | Pantorrilla |
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3-DIRECTIONS:
- Do this exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. – Haga este ejercicio dos veces al día, en la mañana y en la noche.
- Take this medication in the morning before starting with your activities for the day. – Tome está medicacion por la mañana antes de comenzar con sus actividades.
- Apply this cream in the area of the pain at night after your exercises. – Aplíquese está crema en la zona del dolor luego de sus ejercicios en la noche.
| DIRECTIONS IN ENGLISH | DIRECTIONS IN SPANISH |
|---|---|
| Lie down in the examination table please | Recuéstese en la camilla por favor |
| Please sit up | Párese por favor |
| Lie down on your back | Acuéstese sobre su espalda |
| Lie down on your abdomen | Acuéstese sobre su abdomen |
| Sit down | Siéntese |
| Face down | Boca abajo |
| Face up | Boca arriba |
| Do you feel pain here? | Siente dolor aquí? |
| If I apply pressure in this spot, does it hurt? | Si presiono este punto, Siente dolor? |
| Turn over to the right | Voltéese a la derecha |
| Turn over to the left | Voltéese a la izquierda |
| Do you feel pain when doing this movement? | Haciendo este movimiento, siente dolor? |
| Tell me how much it hurts | Dígame cuanto le duele |
| Move your (body part) | Mueva su (body part) |
| Raise your (body part) | Levante su (body part) |
| I’m going to examine your strength | Voy a examinar su fuerza |
| I’m going to examina your range of motion | Voy a examinar su rango de movimiento |
| Let me know if the pain is too much to bear. | Avíseme si siente demasiado dolor |
| Hold this position | Mantenga esta posición |
| Hold this position, don’t let me move you | Resista en esa posición, no me deje moverlo/la |
| Bend forward | Inclínese hacia delante |
| Bend backward | Inclínese hacia atrás |
| Bend to the left | Doble a la izquierda |
| Bend to the right | Doble a la derecha |
| Turn to the left | Gire a la izquierda |
| Turn to the right | Gire a la derecha |
| Keep it straight | Mantenga estirado |
| Walk towards me | Camine hacia mi |
| Walk in the opposite direction | Camine hacia el otro lado |
| Follow what I do | Siga lo que hago |
| We’ll try harder | Intentaremos más fuerte |
| Relax | Relájese |
| Take a break | Tome un descanso |
| Good job! | ¡Buen trabajo! |
4-DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT:
- You have (name of the pathology), you’ll need 6 months of treatment, three times a week. – Usted tiene (name of the pathology), va a necesitar 6 meses de tratamiento, tres veces por semana.
| ENGLISH TERMS | SPANISH TERMS |
|---|---|
| A ligament sprained | Un esguince de ligamento |
| A muscle strained | Un desgarro de músculo |
| Muscular weakness | Debilidad muscular |
| Muscular stiffness | Rigidez muscular |
| A ligament strained | Un desgarro de ligamento |
| Tendinitis | Tendinitis |
| A slipped disc | Una hernia discal |
| Arthritis | Artritis |
| Osteoarthritis | Artrosis |
| Osteoporosis | Osteoporosis |
| Balance issues | Problemas de equilibrio |
| A deviation in your spine or scoliosis | Una desviación de columna o escoliosis |
| Muscular inflammation due to a trauma | Inflamación muscular por traumatismo |
| Bursitis | Bursitis |
- The treatment we’ll apply to you is (name of the treatment), in addition, we’ll teach you exercises for you to do at home. – El tratamiento que vamos a aplicarle será (name of the treatment), además le enseñaremos ejercicios para que realice en su hogar.
| ENGLISH TERMS | SPANISH TERMS |
|---|---|
| Postural training | Entrenamiento de la postura |
| Stretching | Estiramiento |
| Therapeutic exercise | Ejercicio terapéutico |
| Massages | Masajes |
| Strengthening | Fortalecimiento |
| Stabilization | Estabilización |
| Vibratory muscle stimulation and TENS | Estimulación muscular vibratoria y TENS |
| Joint mobilizations | Movilizaciones articulares |
| Electrotherapy and ultrasound | Electroterapia y ultrasonido |
| Magnetotherapy | Magnetoterapia |
- I would like you to come four times per week for three months – Quisiera que venga a la terapia -cuatro- veces por semana por -tres- meses.
- You’ll need also to take this medication for a month, one pill a day, and apply this cream for two months in the affected area. – Usted necesita también tomar está medicacion por un mes, una píldora por día, y aplicarse está crema por dos meses en la zona afectada.
| ENGLISH TERMS | SPANISH TERMS |
|---|---|
| One | Uno |
| Two | Dos |
| Three | Tres |
| Four | Cuatro |
| Five | Cinco |
| Six | Seis |
| Day | Día |
| Week | Semana |
| Mes | Mes |
| Year | Año |
About the Author:
Specializations: Spanish Tutors on WhatsApp Video
Bio: Hello, I'm Jess, I'm a Uruguayan student of Optometry, living in the US. I'm native in Spanish and fluent in English. I'm passionate about languages, I've been learning English since elementary school in both British and American dialect. And I'd like to help you in your journey to learn Spanish in a relaxed and practical manner, and to focus on what you need the most and what's useful for you and the dialect you are learning or want to learn. I also could help you if you want to improve your English skills at writing, pronunciation and daily conversational skills. We'll start every class with the questions that you have and after clearing them all we'll cover the subject of that class. I like to personalize every class for the individual person because we all learn in different ways. I like a dynamic, fun and entertaining class that you enjoy because that's the best way of learning. I think that with patience and perseverance everything is possible, and we'll celebrate every little short-term goal that makes you closer and closer to your main goal in this journey.
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Disclaimer: The information found on this website is meant only to aid healthcare professionals who want to improve their Spanish skills to communicate with their Spanish-speaking patients and not to be used as medical advice. Medical professionals should not rely on the content of this website to evaluate, diagnose or treat any health related condition.