彭蒙惠英语：New Hope for Spinal Cord Injuries

New Hope for Spinal¹ Cord Injuries

 

2

The recovery

Aggressive rehabilitation² is as important, if not more so, than the surgery, Lima says.

 

Erica Nader’s recovery has been slow but steady. She works out like an Olympian in training: five hours, three days a week and at least two hours a day the rest of the week. She can sense the days when she can push a little more and others when she shouldn’t press too much.

 

To stand, let alone walk, Nader demands that every muscle in her body feel just right. Her hips³ must be centered, her feet spaced apart just right, her back straight. And when she moves, her weight must land on her heels, not her toes.

 

Walking is her goal. For now, she accepts knowing she is much stronger and much more capable of lifting her arms, bending her knees on a slanted⁴ exercise board and standing⁵ erect⁶. She works for every inch of her recovery.

 

Three years ago, she had no finger movements. Now, she can lift a water bottle to her mouth for a swig, or feed herself. In the last six months, she’s started to walk in leg braces⁷ with a walker or on a treadmill⁸, tasks assisted by a therapist, friend or family member. She uses full-length mirrors to gain visual clues to assist her movements.

 

“It’s hard work,” says Bill Thornton, her physical therapist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. Typically, gait patterns take three to seven years to learn, he says.

 

Erica and her father have helped raise thousands of dollars for spinal cord research and rehabilitation therapy. Fred Nader, whose life has been consumed by his daughter’s recovery since her accident, is studying ways to steamroll advances in spinal cord injury research. And he calls Erica a stimulant⁹, a champion.

 

“It takes a spark for progress to happen, and that’s what she is,” he says.

 

Vocabulary Focus

rehabilitation (n) [5ri:(h)E7bili5teiFEn] regular treatments to help cure a medical problem

every inch (idiom) all of a thing; every little bit of something

steamroll (v) [5sti:m7rEul] to move or proceed with a forceful effort so that one cannot be stopped

 

Specialized¹⁰ Terms

walker (n) 助行器 a metal frame with legs which one places in front of oneself and leans on to help move forward if one has difficulty walking

gait (n) 步态，步法 a particular way of walking

 

脊髓损伤者的新希望

 

2

复原

积极的恢复跟手术一样，甚至更重要，利马医师说。

艾莉卡·纳德的复原虽缓慢却稳定。她像训练中的奥运选手一样努力：每周3天各有5小时，其它4天则每天至少2小时的练习。她感觉得到有时候可以再多练一点，有时候则要适可而止。

不要说走路，光是站立，纳德需要让身上的每块肌肉都精确运作。她的臀部必须置中，两腿间的距离要对，背部要挺直。而且当她移动时，身体的重量必须落在脚跟，而非脚趾上。

走路是她的目标。现阶段，她知道自己已强壮了许多，也能更轻易地举起手臂，屈膝跪到倾斜的运动板上，还可以笔直站立。她为每一点一滴的复原而努力。

3年前，她的手指无法动弹。现在她可以拿起水瓶畅饮，或是自己进食。最近6个月来，由治疗师、朋友或家人从旁协助，她已经开始穿上腿部支架用助行器或走步机来行走。她利用可以看到全身的镜子，以便注视自己的姿势来修正动作。

“那很辛苦，”她在密歇根康复中心的物理治疗师比尔·索顿说：“通常，步法总要花上3～7年才能学会。”

艾莉卡和她父亲为了脊髓研究和康复治疗，协助募集了数千美元。弗瑞德·纳德这位自从女儿遭受意外，就为了她的复原而筋疲力竭的父亲，想尽一切办法使脊髓损伤的研究更上一层楼。他称艾莉卡是最佳的激励者，是一名勇士。

“要有一点火花来刺激进展，而她本身就是那火花。”他说。

 

 

 

 

1 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

2 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

3 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

7 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

8 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

9 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

10 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。