La Salud y el Cuerpo Health and the Body

Carlos se torció el tobillo jugando al fútbol. Cayó al suelo y sintió mucho dolor. No podía caminar. Sus compañeros se preocuparon. El entrenador llamó a una ambulancia. Carlos dijo que le dolía mucho el tobillo.

It was the last training session before the big final. Carlos was running across the field when suddenly his right foot landed badly and he twisted his ankle hard. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain. His teammates rushed over, worried. The coach called an ambulance. Carlos tried to get up but could not. His face pale with pain, he said: I am in a lot of pain in my ankle. I cannot walk. I think I have really hurt myself. Everyone looked at him in silence, not knowing what to say.

La madre de Carlos lo llevó al hospital. La doctora le examinó el tobillo y le preguntó sobre el dolor. Carlos dijo que el dolor era agudo y pulsante. La enfermera preparó una radiografía. Carlos estaba nervioso.

Carlos's mother drove him to the hospital. In the emergency room, Carlos filled in the admissions form with difficulty because his hand was shaking from the pain. The doctor examined his ankle carefully and asked: How would you describe the pain? Is it sharp, constant or throbbing? Carlos answered that it was sharp and throbbing at the same time. The doctor checked whether he could bend his foot. The nurse prepared everything for an X-ray. Carlos was very nervous and looked at the machine with fear. His mother held his hand to calm him down.

La radiografía mostró un esguince, no una fractura. La doctora le dijo a Carlos que descansara cinco días, pusiera hielo en el tobillo y no hiciera deporte por dos semanas. Carlos preguntó si podía jugar en la final. La doctora dijo que no.

The X-ray showed no fracture but a serious sprain. The doctor calmly explained the treatment: You need to rest for five days. Apply ice every two hours for twenty minutes. Keep your foot elevated to reduce the swelling. Take the medicine I am going to prescribe and do not do any sport for two weeks. Carlos listened carefully and then asked quietly: Can I play in the final? The doctor looked at him directly and replied: Absolutely not. Your health is more important than any match. Carlos closed his eyes with sadness.

Carlos siguió el tratamiento en casa. Puso hielo en el tobillo y descansó. Su madre le cuidó. Vio el partido por televisión. Su equipo ganó pero Carlos estuvo triste de no poder jugar. Prometió cuidarse mejor.

At home, Carlos followed the doctor's instructions with discipline. He applied ice to his ankle every two hours and kept his foot on two pillows. His mother made him hot soup and sat by his side. His teammates sent voice messages full of warmth and encouragement. On the day of the match, Carlos watched it on television from the sofa, with his ankle bandaged and a bag of ice in his hand. His team won three to one. He felt happy for them but also a deep sadness at not having been able to be there. He promised himself to take warm-ups more seriously in the future.

Carlos volvió al entrenamiento después de dos semanas. El fisioterapeuta le enseñó ejercicios para el tobillo. En su primer partido, Carlos marcó un gol. Sus compañeros lo abrazaron. Carlos se sintió muy feliz y agradecido.

Two weeks later, Carlos returned to training with great excitement but also with caution. His ankle was stronger, but the physiotherapist told him he needed to do gentle stretches before any intense exercise. He taught him a series of specific movements to strengthen the muscles around the ankle. In his first match back, Carlos received the ball near the opposition area, dribbled past two defenders and scored a goal with his left leg. His teammates ran towards him to hug him and celebrate. Carlos raised his arms to the sky, smiling. In that moment, he felt a deep gratitude towards his body for having healed.