上班族 Jay 和 Larry 时常加班,整天坐在椅子上用电脑,搞得肩颈酸痛、肌肉紧绷…
Larry: Ugh! I’ve been suffering from lower back pain for weeks.
Larry:唉唷!我已经下背痛好几个礼拜了。
Jay: Are you okay? What types of pain?
Jay:你还好吗?是哪一种痛?
Larry: It’s like a stabbing pain.
Larry:有点像是刺痛感。
Jay: Do you feel numbness in your legs and feet?
Jay:你的腿和脚会觉得麻麻的吗?
Larry: How did you know that! Are you a mind reader?
Larry: 你怎么知道!你会读心术喔?
Jay: Of course not. I had the same problem before. The chiropractor told me it’s sciatica.
Jay:当然不是,是我以前也有一样的状况。整脊师跟我说那是坐骨神经痛。
Larry: Is it possible to fully recover from sciatica? Whenever I sit, I can feel pain.
Larry: 坐骨神经痛有可能完全痊愈吗?我只要坐下就会痛。
Jay: Yeah, it is. The pain went away completely for me after two appointments with the chiropractor.
Jay:可以的,我做两次整脊之后就不会痛了。
stabbing pain (n.) 刺痛
动词 stab 的意思是「戳;刺」,所以 stabbing pain 就是「刺痛」。补充:burning pain 则是「灼痛」。
He suffered from a sudden stabbing pain in his stomach.
他的腹部突然一阵刺痛。
numbness (n.) 麻木;失去知觉
形容词 numb 是指「麻木的;无知觉的」,其名词形是 numbness,因此脚麻就可以说 feel numbness in the legs。
After the surgery, she felt temporary numbness in her right arm.
手术之后,她的右手会暂时失去知觉。
chiropractor (n.) 整脊师
名词 chiropractic 是「脊骨神经学」,chiropractor (整脊师) 用手来调整病患的关节,让神经不再受压迫,用以治疗腰间、椎间盘突出。
Those who are afraid of undergoing surgery for back pain turn to chiropractors for help.
那些害怕动手术的人都转而向整脊师求助。
sciatica (n.) 坐骨神经痛
sciatica /saɪˈætɪkə/ 是我们常听到的「坐骨神经痛」,但坐骨神经痛其实是一种症状而并不是疾病,常见的原因有椎间盘突出、骨刺等。
Sciatica commonly occurs in middle-aged people.
坐骨神经痛好发于中年人身上。
到了假日,Jay 带着可怜的 Larry 来找整脊师,准备进行治疗…
Chiropractor : Good morning, Larry. Before we adjust your back, we have to make an diagnosis first.
整脊师:Larry 早安,要矫正你的背部,我们要先诊断。
Larry: Sure.
Larry:没问题。
(After a series of physical examinations…)
(在一连串的身体检查后…)
Chiropractor: Hmm… it appears that a herniated disk is causing your sciatica.
整脊师:嗯…你有椎间盘突出,它造成了坐骨神经痛的症状。
Larry: So you’re going to adjust my spine…will you break my bones?
Larry:所以你要调整我的脊椎了吗……你会打断我的骨头吗?
Chiropractor: Of course not! I’ll use my hands to adjust your spinal joints. Please lie face-down on the chiropractic table.
整脊师:当然不会!我会用手调整你的脊关节,请面部朝下躺在整脊床上。
(During the treatment…)
(在治疗过程中…)
Larry: Oh my, what’s that popping sound?
Larry:噢天啊!那个啪啪声是什么?
Chiropractor: Don’t worry, it’s very normal. When I adjust your joints, air bubbles will form between them. That’s where the sound comes from.
整脊师:别担心,这很正常。我在调整你的关节时,关节间会产生小气泡,这就是啪啪声的来源。
Larry: Phew, thank God. I feel much better!
Larry:呼,真是谢天谢地,但我真的觉得舒服多了耶!
herniated disk (n.) 椎间盘突出
名词 herniation /ˌhɚnɪ’eʃən/ 意为「突出;疝气形成 (体内脏器跑到不正常的位置上)」,disk 常见的意思是「圆盘;盘状物」,在医学上是指「椎间盘」,因此 herniated disk 就是「椎间盘突出」。
Paying attention to proper posture is key to preventing a herniated disk.
为了预防椎间盘突出,你最好多注意你的坐姿。
spine (n.) 脊椎
spine 是人体的神经中枢「脊椎」,也可以指书本的「书背」。
The clown hurt his spine when he did the flying trapeze.
那名小丑在表演空中飞人时伤到了他的脊椎。
joint (n.) 关节
joint 若当形容词时意为「共同的;联合的」,当名词则是「关节」,是连接两块或两块以上骨头的部位,「关节炎」则是 arthritis /ɑɚˈθraɪtəs/。
My knee joints were sore after squatting for a long time.
蹲下一阵子后,我的膝关节就很酸痛。
popping sound (n.) 啪啪的声响
pop 原本除了「流行音乐」,还可以形容「砰」的声音,因此 popping sound 就是形容短促的「啪啪声;喀喀声」。
Many boys like to crack their knuckles to make them make a popping sound.
很多男生都喜欢折指关节,让它发出啪啪的声响。