Learn Medical Spanish – Discussing Back Pain in Spanish

This free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on discussing back pain in Spanish: el dolor de espalda. In this lesson I teach on

• common causes of back pain
• anatomy of the back and areas that are commonly painful
• pain descriptions in Spanish
• common tests and procedures to assess back pain

Here is the Medical Spanish back pain lesson I taught to the Facebook group:

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This post includes tons of vocabulary related to back pain in Spanish, so if you want to review any specific vocabulary in Spanish, just click on these menu items:

• Relevant Anatomy
• Signs and Symptoms
• Common Causes
• Tests and Procedures
• Suggestions to Help and Prevent

Anatomía relevante / Relevant Anatomy

Let’s start with a quick review of the body parts related to the back pain and their names in Spanish 🙂

Spanish	English
El coxis	The coccyx
El cuello (la nuca)	The neck (nape)
El disco	The disc
El muslo	Thigh
El sacro	The sacrum
La cintura	The waist
La columna vertebral	Spinal column
– Cervical	– Cervical
– Toráxica	– Thoracic
– Lumbar   (el espinazo, la espina dorsal)	– Lumbar   (the spine, the spine)
La espalda	The back
La ingle	The groin
La médula espinal	Spinal cord
La pelvis	Pelvis
La vértebra	The vertebra
Las piernas	The legs
Los costados	Sides
Los glúteos	Buttocks
Los hombros	Shoulders
Los ligamentos	The ligaments
Los músculos	The muscles
Los nervios	The nerves
Los riñones	The kidneys

Signos y síntomas / Signs and Symptoms

Now you have mastered the basic anatomy, it’s time to learn and understand the most common signs and symptoms of back pain

Spanish	English
Debilidad	Weakness
Dolor:	Pain:
– Intenso	– Intense
– Muscular	– Muscular
-Punzante	-Stinging
– Que corre para abajo	– That runs down
– Moderado	– Moderate
Entumecimiento	Numbness
Fiebre	Fever
Hormigueo	Tingle
Movimiento limitado	Limited movement
Nausea	Nausea
Orina turbia	Cloudy Urine

Causas comunes / Common Causes

This is a short list of the most common causes of back pain both in English and Spanish that you can use to talk through a diagnosis with your patient.

Spanish	English
1. Disco herniado o roto:	1. Herniated or broken disk:
El disco es el cartílago entre las vértebras	The disc is the cartilage between the vertebrae
Si se comprime, sale de su lugar o rompe,  causa mucho dolor e inhibe el movimiento	If it is compressed, goes out of place or breaks, it causes a lot of pain and inhibits movement
2. Esguinces y Distensiones:	2. Sprains and strains:
Un estiramiento excesivo o desgarro en el ligamento, tendón o músculo, puede ocurrir con levantar objetos pesados o torcerse de manera incorrecta	Excessive stretching or tearing of the ligament, tendon or muscle can occur with lifting heavy objects or twisting incorrectly
Pueden causar espasmos en los músculos de la espalda y provocar dolor	They can cause spasms in the muscles of the back and cause pain
3. Estenosis espinal:	3. Spinal stenosis:
El canal de una o más vértebras se estrecha y pone presión sobre la médula espinal y los nervios	The canal of one or more vertebrae narrows and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves
Causa dolor, entumecimiento y debilidad	It causes pain, numbness and weakness
4. La ciática y nervios comprimidos:	4. Sciatica and compressed nerves:
Los nervios de la médula espinal a veces se comprimen o se pellizcan	Nerves in the spinal cord are sometimes compressed or pinched
Puede pasar después de un accidente, con ciertos movimientos, o por presión de un disco	It can happen after an accident, with certain movements, or by pressure of a disc
Causa dolor que corre, hormigueo, entumecimiento y debilidad	It causes running pain, tingling, numbness and weakness
5. Artritis:	5. Arthritis:
Una inflamación de las articulaciones en la espalda –  los espacios entre las vértebras	An inflammation of the joints in the back – the spaces between the vertebrae
Esta inflamación provoca dolor y rigidez	This inflammation causes pain and stiffness
6. Piedras renales:	6. Kidney stones:
Son cálculos que forman en el riñón y no pueden pasar por las vías urinarias	They are stones that form in the kidney and can not pass through the urinary tract
Causan dolor lumbar, dolor al orinar, orina oscura y otros síntomas de infección	They cause low back pain, painful urination, dark urine and other symptoms of infection
7. El embarazo:	7. Pregnancy:
Por el peso extra que lleva la mamá en el útero, los músculos de la espalda se esfuerzan más para mantener la postura	Because of the extra weight that the mother carries in the uterus, the muscles of the back try harder to maintain the posture
Puede producir dolor, músculos adoloridos y rigidez	May cause pain, sore muscles and stiffness

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Exámenes y procedimientos / Tests and Procedures

Now you are able to provide a diagnosis, it’s time to talk about the tests and procedure they might need from now on

Spanish	English
Para diagnosticar:	To diagnose:
Examen físico	Physical exam
Tomografía computada (TAC)	Computerized  tomography (CT)
Resonancia magnética (RM)	Magnetic resonance (MR)
Radiografía (rayos equis)	X-ray (X rays)

Sugerencias para ayudar y prevenir / Suggestions to Help and Prevent

Finally, you can make some suggestions to your patient to improve their lifestyle and avoid feeling pain in the future

Spanish	English
Haga ejercicios de fortalecimiento y estiramiento:	Do strengthening and stretching exercises:
Ejercicios que fortalecen y estiran los músculos de la espalda y el abdomen le dan mejor equilibrio	Exercises that strengthen and stretch the muscles of the back and abdomen give better balance
Más fuerza y mejor equilibrio bajan el riesgo de lesionar la espalda	More strength and better balance lower the risk of injuring the back
Preste atención a la postura:	Pay attention to your posture / position:
Es importante pararse y sentarse con la espalda recta	It is important to stand up and sit with your back straight
También si usa una computadora en el trabajo hay que asegurar que el monitor y el teclado estén en buena posición	Also if you use a computer at work you must ensure that the monitor and keyboard are in good position
Levante objetos pesados con las piernas:	Lift heavy objects with your legs:
Hay que doblar las rodillas y mantener la espalda recta cuando levanta objetos	You have to bend your knees and keep your back straight when you lift objects
También es importante pedir ayuda cuando necesita mover objetos pesados	It is also important to ask for help when you need to move heavy objects
Cambie los movimientos repetitivos:	Change the repetitive movements:
Es bueno alternar actividad exigente y actividad menos exigente	It is good to alternate demanding activity and less demanding activity
Y si puede usar equipos para levantar y mover objetos, mejor	And if you can use equipment to lift and move objects, that’s even better

PD: Two Updates for you! / ¡Dos noticias!

1. Immersion Programs: this is the best way for you to gain comfort, confidence, and fluidity in your expression in Spanish. If interested, check our Medical Immersion Programs.

2. Medical Spanish Verbs in Past Tenses: Beta testers are working hard on this course revision so it will be ready soon! 

Now is your turn! ¡Ahora te toca a ti!

Study this back pain in Spanish vocabulary here with these flashcards

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