Physical therapy Spanish

Spanish for physical therapists: gait training, exercise instruction, and weight-bearing phrases

Physical therapy instruction is some of the most precision-dependent communication in healthcare — a patient who misunderstands "non-weight-bearing" and puts their foot down, or who doesn't understand "keep your back straight" during a squat, can re-injure themselves. For Spanish-speaking patients, this precision gap is the difference between a successful recovery and a callback to the ED. This page gives physical therapists the working Spanish for their daily practice: gait training cues, weight-bearing precautions, exercise instruction, pain assessment, and discharge home exercise programs.

Introducing physical therapy

• "Soy el terapeuta físico — mi trabajo es ayudarle a recuperar la fuerza, el equilibrio y la capacidad de moverse de forma segura. Trabajamos juntos en sesiones aquí y le voy a enseñar ejercicios para que haga en casa." — I'm the physical therapist — my job is to help you recover strength, balance, and the ability to move safely. We work together in sessions here and I'll teach you exercises to do at home.
• "Voy a empezar por evaluar dónde está ahora — la fuerza, el movimiento, y el dolor — y después hacemos un plan para llegar a donde quiere estar." — I'll start by evaluating where you are now — strength, movement, and pain — and then we make a plan to get you where you want to be.

Pain assessment for PT

Pain in physical therapy has a different meaning than in other settings — some discomfort during exercise is expected and therapeutic; pain that exceeds a patient's tolerance or represents joint pain (not muscle fatigue) is a stop criterion. Help Spanish-speaking patients understand this distinction.

• "En la escala del cero al diez, ¿cómo está el dolor ahora, antes de empezar? ¿Es un dolor constante, o solo cuando se mueve?" — On a scale from zero to ten, how is the pain right now, before we start? Is it a constant pain, or only when you move?
• "Durante los ejercicios, un poco de ardor o cansancio en el músculo es normal — eso quiere decir que está trabajando. Pero si siente dolor en [articulación] — la rodilla, la cadera, la espalda — más de [número], dígame y paramos." — During exercises, a little burning or fatigue in the muscle is normal — that means it's working. But if you feel pain in [joint] — the knee, hip, back — higher than [number], tell me and we'll stop.
• "¿El dolor que siente ahora es diferente al dolor que tenía antes — es el mismo tipo de dolor, en el mismo lugar?" — Is the pain you feel now different from the pain you had before — is it the same type of pain, in the same place?

Weight-bearing precautions

Weight-bearing precautions are among the most consequential instructions a PT gives — and the ones most often misunderstood. The precaution category must be clearly explained in terms of what the patient can and cannot do, with a concrete physical reference if possible.

Non-weight-bearing (NWB)

• "No puede poner ningún peso en esa pierna. Cuando está parado, esa pierna tiene que estar levantada del suelo. Todo el peso va en la pierna buena y en las muletas o el andador." — You cannot put any weight on that leg. When standing, that leg must be lifted off the ground. All the weight goes on the good leg and on the crutches or walker.

Toe-touch weight-bearing (TTWB)

• "Puede tocar el piso suavemente con los dedos del pie — solo para mantener el equilibrio, no para apoyar peso. Imagine que está tocando un papel en el suelo que no puede arrugar — así de suave." — You can gently touch the floor with your toes — only for balance, not to bear weight. Imagine you're touching a piece of paper on the floor that you can't wrinkle — that gently.

Partial weight-bearing (PWB)

• "Puede poner [X] por ciento del peso en esa pierna. Le voy a mostrar en la báscula cuánto es eso para que lo sienta en el cuerpo antes de intentarlo solo." — You can put [X] percent of your weight on that leg. I'll show you on the scale how much that is so you can feel it in your body before trying it alone.

Weight-bearing as tolerated (WBAT)

• "Puede poner el peso que tolere — el dolor es su guía. Si duele más de [número] en la escala cuando pisa, use el andador y ponga menos peso hasta que mejore." — You can put as much weight as you can tolerate — pain is your guide. If it hurts more than [number] on the scale when you step, use the walker and put less weight until it improves.

Gait training — verbal cues

Gait training cues must be immediate, specific, and in plain language. Patients cannot correct their gait if they don't understand the instruction in real time. These are the cues PTs use most often, in the order they're needed.

Sit-to-stand transfer

• "Acérquese al borde de la silla — los pies debajo de las rodillas — inclínese hacia adelante con la espalda recta — y cuando diga ya, empuje con las manos en el andador y párese." — Move to the edge of the chair — feet under your knees — lean forward with your back straight — and when I say now, push with your hands on the walker and stand.

Walker sequence

• "Andador primero — unos treinta centímetros adelante. Luego el pie afectado. Luego el pie bueno. Andador, pie malo, pie bueno — siempre en ese orden." — Walker first — about twelve inches forward. Then the affected foot. Then the good foot. Walker, bad foot, good foot — always in that order.
• "No doble la espalda para mirar el andador — mire hacia adelante. Sus pies saben dónde ir." — Don't bend your back to look at the walker — look forward. Your feet know where to go.

Crutch use

• "Las muletas van a los lados — no adelante. El peso va en las manos, no en las axilas — si las axilas duelen es porque las está usando mal." — The crutches go to the sides — not in front. The weight goes in the hands, not the armpits — if your armpits hurt, you're using them incorrectly.
• "Las muletas y el pie malo se mueven juntos al mismo tiempo — luego el pie bueno. Muletas y malo juntos — bueno solo." — The crutches and the bad foot move together at the same time — then the good foot. Crutches and bad foot together — good foot alone.

Stairs

• "Para subir: el pie bueno sube primero, luego el malo, luego el bastón. Para bajar: el bastón baja primero, luego el malo, luego el bueno. El dicho: sube el bueno, baja el malo." — To go up: the good foot goes up first, then the bad foot, then the cane. To go down: the cane goes down first, then the bad foot, then the good foot. The saying: good goes up, bad goes down.

Exercise instruction

Exercise instruction requires clarity on three things: how to do the movement, how many times, and when to stop. For Spanish-speaking patients, anatomical terms should be replaced with spatial instructions — "tighten your quad" becomes "press the back of your knee into the bed."

Quad sets

• "Acuéstese boca arriba con la pierna estirada. Apriete la parte de atrás de la rodilla contra la cama — como si quisiera aplastar algo que está debajo. Aguante cinco segundos. Suelte. Eso es una repetición." — Lie on your back with your leg straight. Press the back of your knee into the bed — as if you were trying to crush something underneath. Hold five seconds. Release. That's one repetition.

Straight leg raises

• "Doble una rodilla con el pie en el piso. La otra pierna estíresela completamente — apriete el músculo del muslo — y levante esa pierna hasta la misma altura que la rodilla doblada. Aguante dos segundos. Baje despacio." — Bend one knee with the foot on the floor. Extend the other leg completely — tighten the thigh muscle — and lift that leg to the same height as the bent knee. Hold two seconds. Lower slowly.

Bridge exercise

• "Boca arriba, rodillas dobladas, pies planos en el piso. Suba las caderas hasta quedar en línea recta desde los hombros hasta las rodillas. Apriete los glúteos ahí arriba — aguante tres segundos — y baje despacio vértebra por vértebra." — On your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips until you're in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Squeeze your glutes up there — hold three seconds — and lower slowly vertebra by vertebra.

Discharge home exercise program

HEP compliance is often lower in patients with limited English literacy. For Spanish-speaking patients, providing written instructions in Spanish, giving demonstration photos or drawings, and doing a teach-back before discharge significantly improves compliance.

• "Le voy a dar una hoja con todos los ejercicios dibujados — cada ejercicio tiene el número de repeticiones y series al lado. Si no entiende alguno, llámeme antes de hacerlo — es mejor preguntar que hacerlo mal." — I'm going to give you a sheet with all the exercises drawn — each exercise has the number of repetitions and sets next to it. If you don't understand one, call me before doing it — it's better to ask than to do it wrong.
• "Haga los ejercicios dos veces al día — mañana y tarde. Si un día se le olvida, no lo doble el siguiente — siga el horario normal." — Do the exercises twice a day — morning and afternoon. If you miss a day, don't double up the next day — just follow the normal schedule.
• Teach-back: "Antes de que se vaya, muéstreme el primer ejercicio para que yo vea que lo está haciendo bien." — Before you go, show me the first exercise so I can see you're doing it correctly.

Disclaimer

ClinicaLingo is a language-training tool. The phrases on this page support physical therapists communicating with Spanish-speaking patients within their scope of practice. Weight-bearing precautions, exercise dosage, and stop criteria are physician-ordered and protocol-specific — always follow the physician's orders and your institution's PT protocols. Language training is not medical advice.