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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

limitación álgida

English translation:

painful movement restriction

Added to glossary by Joseph Tein
Jan 20, 2020 21:08
4 yrs ago
7 viewers *
Spanish term

limitación álgida

Spanish to English Medical Medical (general) physical examination - orthopedics
This is from an orthopedics evaluation of a patient admitted to a hospital in Mexico for severe lumbar pain:

DORSO: con limitación algida de la movilidad toraco-lumbar, palpación indolora.

I don't find anything useful in previous KudoZ questions (nothing in the medical area). My dictionary shows "álgido" as meaning "culminating" in some contexts, or "freezing" in relation to temperature. The DRAE gives " Crítico o culminante, " and "Acompañado de frío glacial." I don't see how "freezing" would fit with "limitación".

Maybe he means "extreme" limitation? "severe" limitation?

Some doctors express themselves in unusual ways. Thanks for your help with this one.
Proposed translations (English)
2 +2 painful movement restriction
3 stiffness
3 algide limitation

Discussion

Chema Nieto Castañón Jan 22, 2020:
It is just so good that the author could clear this out. And yet it is so bad being forced to base our translations on guess-work!
Once again, thanks a lot for sharing!
Joseph Tein (asker) Jan 22, 2020:
Lo que me dice el Doctor Limitación álgida significa que su la movilidad esta limitada por dolor

(So we see here that our Doctor is staying with the álgida spelling ... I asked in the email whether he had intended to write álgica. Also he does not pay attention to writing carefully.)
Chema Nieto Castañón Jan 21, 2020:
Hi liz,
Both your examples of "sensación álgida" are examples of misuse; those should definitely read "sensación álgica" (painful sensation) -which is what "álgido no significa álgico" warns against.

Now, again, this does not help deciding our case as it is not so clear in Joseph's context what is the intended meaning of "álgido"; acute (maybe also "severe"; definitely not "cold") vs. álgico (painful). I feel "painful" would be the most natural option here, but that is just a hunch; there is just not enough info so as to decide what the author meant in this case.

Robert,
I am not sure if "limitation" works in English; limitación "aguda" would convey an "acute movement restriction" (versus chronic or long lasting). It would not be related to pain, or not explicitly so at least. And so the possibility that "álgido" is used as "acute" still holds in this case.
liz askew Jan 21, 2020:
Dolor precordial
Sensación álgida, descrita en términos de opresión, constricción, pesadez o tirantez centrotorácica, que puede irradiarse o no por los bordes esternales hacia los hombros, los brazos y las muñecas, así como hacia la mandíbula y/o la región dorsal, asociada o no a fenómenos vegetativos y a la sensación de muerte inminente. Es atribuible al espasmo arterial coronario, la arteriosclerosis coronaria, la insuficiencia arterial coronaria o el espasmo muscular esofágico.
liz askew Jan 21, 2020:
and:
El método clínico aplicado al diagnóstico del dolor torácico ...
Translate this page
El dolor torácico agudo se define como: una sensación álgida, localizada entre el ... Se presenta, sobre todo, en reposo y se exacerba con los movimientos ...
liz askew Jan 21, 2020:
see:
Álgido no significa dolor

El término “álgido”, muy utilizado en los exámenes físicos para describir la facies de un paciente adolorido, es una incorrección e imprecisión del lenguaje científico. El diseminado adjetivo, según el Diccionario académico y el Diccionario de términos médicos, se define como «Muy frío» o «Acompañado de frío glacial». En tanto que, el término «álgico» es definido como «Doloroso» o «Perteneciente o relativo al dolor».
Joseph Tein (asker) Jan 21, 2020:
@Liz Hola Liz, thank you for your comments. I was going to say what Chema said, so I'll say it anyway: pain can occur on movement but not necessarily when there is palpation or pressure by the examiner. It's just different sources of the pain. Saludos as well :)
Robert Carter Jan 21, 2020:
@Chema I somewhat hastily removed my answer after seeing Helena's, and then I had misgivings about it because I still think "acute" really is the idea here for "álgida" (after looking at one of Helena's last reference, a Google Books link, which I've shortened here https://tinyurl.com/ulvfsnq ) as the writer contrasts "dolor álgido" with "dolor crónico".

Having said that, I'm not entirely sure "acute limitation" is the idea either (sounds vague). So, as you say, it's more "acute pain on movement", as in when you have a slipped disc and can't straighten up, right?
Chema Nieto Castañón Jan 21, 2020:
Hi Stephen,
It does not seem to work that way.
I'd say limitación conveys a movement restriction. As for álgida,
- severe/relevant would be a very strange use of the word in this context but it could work (severe movement restriction)
- acute seems to be another possibility -although I had never seen álgida used this way before (acute movement restriction)
- álgica, painful, as an erroneous use of álgida -versus a typo (painful movement restriction)

As for stiffness it makes sense and yet movement restriction (limitación) is not exactly the same as stiffness (rigidez).

* Robert, I cannot agree on a hidden answer! ;)
As stated above, I think your answer covers some reasonable possibilities -no matter how rare using "álgido" meaning either "acute" or "severe" might be in this context.
Stephen D. Moore Jan 21, 2020:
"Limiting"? The definition I find for "álgido" suggests a connotation of "defining" - in this case, the point past which movement simply cannot go, perhaps?
Chema Nieto Castañón Jan 20, 2020:
No contradiction, liz; it does not hurt when pressed upon; it only hurts when patient moves. Obviously enough this is no defense of "álgico" vs "álgido", but there is no contradiction here, honestly.
Saludos.
liz askew Jan 20, 2020:
álgido → 'Se dice del momento o período crítico o culminante de algunos procesos.
liz askew Jan 20, 2020:
hmm, it does say though "palpación indolora" so wouldn't this contradict "limitación álgica"?
Chema Nieto Castañón Jan 20, 2020:
Hi Joseph,
I am not sure at all but I feel this might well be a typo for "limitación álgica", esto es, limitación de la movilidad tóracolumbar por dolor.

Limitación álgida no tiene sentido para mí, aunque es posible que la lectura de Robert sea correcta después de todo y que álgido apunte a "máxima/muy importante limitación" de la movilidad. Me resuena extraño, aunque dado tu ejemplo previo ("sin agregados") no puede descartarse un uso poco habitual y fuera de contexto normal del término álgido en este caso.

¡Ánimo! ;)

Proposed translations

+2
5 hrs
Spanish term (edited): limitación álgica
Selected

painful movement restriction

As said, I feel "acute", as Robert has stated, is an option here (limitación álgida). And yet, it sounds very strange to me. It may be an error where álgida is used instead of álgica; limitación álgica (del movimiento), which would convey a painful movement restriction.

Low confidence anyhow. As Helena's last link brings forward, "álgido" (dolor álgido) may be used meaning "acute".
Peer comment(s):
agree Anne Schulz : As Helena's reference about imprecisión del lenguaje científico says: "El término “álgido”, muy utilizado en los exámenes físicos para describir la facies de un paciente adolorido,..." ;-)
6 hrs
Thanks, Anne. And yes, it seems it is more common a mistake than what I had suspected.
agree Robert Carter : Yes, on reflection, and with confirmation from Joe, this must be it. Thanks for finally sorting this one out!
1 day 0 min
Thanks Robert; I am afraid this was just an educated guess; could have been perfectly wrong just as well. It is quite a shame that medical doctors do not care much about what they write... ¡Saludos!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Hola Chema. Mira en la Discusión, lo que me contestó el doctor. Mil gracias."
32 mins

stiffness

Bajó del bus y lo quedó mirando hasta que desapareció, sintió tristeza, un dolor álgido y profundo.

https://www.falsaria.com/2016/02/un-encuentro-casual-2/

Además de todo lo indicado hasta el momento, tenemos que subrayar el hecho de que se confunde con otra palabra dentro de lo que es el ámbito médico. Sí, porque son muchos los profesionales de la rama sanitaria que usan el adjetivo “álgido” con el claro objetivo de mencionar que un paciente en concreto tiene un aspecto dolorido o quejumbroso.

https://definicion.de/algido/

Dolor álgido en la zona del cuello y la espalda alta “CERVICODORSALGIA”
Puede darse por una posible SUBLUXACIÓN BIOMECÁNICA POSTURAL ADQUIRIDA, a consecuencia de la mala postura al trabajar, dormir, traumatismo, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/126399784192277/posts/3391026895886...

Most people describe upper back pain as a burning or pulling sensation in one place, which may be the location of injury or strain.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323839.php#common-...

Álgido no significa dolor

El término “álgido”, muy utilizado en los exámenes físicos para describir la facies de un paciente adolorido, es una incorrección e imprecisión del lenguaje científico. El diseminado adjetivo, según el Diccionario académico y el Diccionario de términos médicos, se define como «Muy frío» o «Acompañado de frío glacial». En tanto que, el término «álgico» es definido como «Doloroso» o «Perteneciente o relativo al dolor».

La generalizada confusión se genera por la palabra, -algia. La cual es un elemento compositivo que significa “dolor”. Ejemplos, gastralgia, neuralgia, etcétera. En consecuencia, es importante tener en cuenta que, «álgido» se relaciona con temperatura, mientras que «álgico» hace referencia a dolor. Así que, cuando describamos en la historia clínica la facies dolorosa de un paciente por cualquier causalidad, lo recomendable sería decir: «facies álgica» y no álgida.

http://zonacero.com/opinion/el-lenguaje-medico-y-sus-impreci...

I've seen that 'dolor àlgido' is used to refer to muscle pain. The references are in books and I can't copy and paste the text.

https://books.google.es/books?id=Lh_zkYMcPAMC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5...

Note from asker:
Hi Helena. Thank you for your suggestion as well, and the time that you put into this.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Chema Nieto Castañón : Hola Helena, muy buenos enlaces, tanto por la errónea utilización de "álgido" por "álgico" (ver Discuss.) como por el último enlace donde "dolor álgido" hace referencia a "dolor agudo" (acute vs chronic pain), en concordancia con la propuesta de Robert.
4 hrs
Gracias por tu comentario, Chema.
neutral Robert Carter : Great work there on the etymology, the "-algia" link hadn't occurred to me at all. This really makes more sense to me now, and it fits with what Chema mentioned (about "álgica") in the discussion//Have to agree with Chema's idea ultimately, sorry!
4 hrs
I think it's the sort of pain a person feels when their body, or part of their body, is in a certain position. It's not a continuous pain. E.g. a person might not be able to turn their head to one side without it hurting. Thank you, Robert :-)
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4 hrs

algide limitation

Note from asker:
Hola Juan, mil gracias por tu sugerencia. Pero me puedes facilitar algún ejemplo de cómo se usa "aigide limitation" en un informe médico en inglés? Y para que tu respuesta sea más útil, también tienes que proporcionar una explicación del término. Como lo hicieron Helena y Chema, ¿ves? Un saludo.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Chema Nieto Castañón : ;) seriously? Algide is French (frígido). Maybe you mean algid (cold). And yet, "algid (cold) limitation" does not seem to work -in any language! ;)
2 hrs
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