Numbness in Spanish

What it means

Numbness is a loss or decrease of feeling in part of the body; MedlinePlus lists sensory loss and loss of sensation among its alternative names. MedlinePlus describes numbness and tingling together as abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in the body but are often felt in the fingers, hands, feet, arms, or legs. It names many possible causes, including sitting or standing in the same position for a long time, injuring a nerve, and pressure on the nerves of the spine, as well as medical conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. MedlinePlus says to go to a hospital or call 911 if weakness or being unable to move comes along with numbness or tingling.

Spanish term: Entumecimiento
Gender and article: masculine: el entumecimiento
Pronunciation: en-too-meh-see-MYEN-toh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
adormecimiento	General	Word in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry for peripheral neuropathy, in the place where the English entry says numbness.
pérdida de sensibilidad	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español among the alternative names of its article on numbness and tingling.

Entumecimiento is the word MedlinePlus en español uses, both in the article title Entumecimiento y hormigueo (numbness and tingling) and in the text. It is masculine: el entumecimiento. The same article describes a numb body part with the participle, una mano o un pie entumecidos, and renders a hand or foot "falling asleep" as una mano o pie "dormidos". Its list of alternative names includes pérdida de sensibilidad and parestesias.

A second word, adormecimiento, appears in the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary: its entry for neuropatía periférica names dolor, adormecimiento, cosquilleo where the English entry says pain, numbness, tingling. That entry uses cosquilleo for tingling, while MedlinePlus en español uses hormigueo. On the MedlinePlus en español stroke page, the first symptom listed is entumecimiento o debilidad repentina de la cara, brazo o la pierna, especially on one side of the body. Emergency signs like these need urgent care (call 911 in the U.S.).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My left hand has been numb since I woke up this morning.	Tengo la mano izquierda entumecida desde que me desperté esta mañana.
Clinician	Do you also feel tingling, or only numbness?	¿Siente también hormigueo, o solo entumecimiento?
Patient	Both. It feels like my hand fell asleep, and it does not go away.	Las dos cosas. Siento como si se me hubiera dormido la mano, y no se me quita.
Clinician	Where exactly is the numbness: in your fingers, in your whole hand, or in your arm too?	¿Dónde exactamente tiene el entumecimiento: en los dedos, en toda la mano o también en el brazo?
Clinician	Have you had any weakness, trouble speaking, or changes in your vision?	¿Ha tenido debilidad, dificultad para hablar o cambios en la visión?
Patient	No, but the numbness in my feet gets worse when I walk.	No, pero el entumecimiento de los pies empeora cuando camino.
Clinician	I am going to order blood tests and a nerve conduction study.	Voy a pedirle análisis de sangre y un estudio de conducción nerviosa.
Clinician	If you suddenly have numbness or weakness on one side of your body, call 911 right away.	Si de repente tiene entumecimiento o debilidad en un lado del cuerpo, llame al 911 de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Numbness
Spanish (Español)	Entumecimiento
Chinese (中文)	麻木
Korean (한국어)	마비감
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Tê
Filipino (Tagalog)	Pamamanhid
Portuguese (Português)	Dormência
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ชา
Japanese (日本語)	しびれ

Where you'll see it

neurology reportchartintake formmedical record

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: R20 → Disturbances of skin sensation

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Brain and nerves

All terms in this area: Brain and nerves — Cerebro y nervios

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.