punción lumbar
/punθjon lumbaɾ/from spelling rulesfeminine
The English phrase lumbar puncture is punción lumbar in Spanish.
The term refers to a medical procedure used to collect cerebrospinal fluid.
Meaning: procedure to collect cerebrospinal fluid (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is a literal translation where punción means puncture and lumbar means lumbar.
Which one should you use?
Punción lumbar and punción espinal are formal ways to refer to the procedure. If you want to speak more informally, you can use punción en la espalda baja or una punción en la columna.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the noun punción is feminine, it is used with the feminine article la, as in la punción lumbar.
How do you pronounce it?
/punθjon lumbaɾ/
Did you know?
- While punción lumbar is the clinical term, some older patients in Latin America might call it a pinchazo, a word usually reserved for a small prick or a sting.
- The word punción shares a root with the Spanish word punzón, which refers to a sharp-pointed tool or an awl used for piercing.
- In many Spanish-speaking hospitals, a patient might hear a doctor refer to the procedure simply as 'una espinal' to save time.
Examples in context
- Doctor, ¿podría explicarme qué es una punción lumbar, por favor?Doctor, could you please explain to me what a lumbar puncture is?
- Mañana, me harán una punción lumbar para diagnosticar mi condición.Tomorrow, I'll be having a lumbar puncture to diagnose my condition.
- Disculpe, ¿podría explicarme qué es una punción lumbar, por favor?Excuse me, could you please explain what a lumbar puncture is?
- No estoy familiarizado/a con el término "punción lumbar". ¿Podría darme más información, por favor?I'm not familiar with the term "lumbar puncture". Can you provide more information?
- La punción lumbar es un procedimiento estándar.The lumbar puncture is a standard procedure.
- Necesito programar una punción lumbar para el paciente.I need to schedule a lumbar puncture for the patient.
- El médico explicó los riesgos de la punción lumbar.The doctor explained the risks of the lumbar puncture.
Example conversation
A doctor is explaining a medical test to a patient.
- SofíaAlejandro, necesitamos hacer una punción lumbar.Alejandro, we need to perform a lumbar puncture.
- AlejandroTengo miedo, ¿es muy doloroso?I'm scared, is it very painful?
- SofíaSentirás una pequeña molestia, pero es rápido.You will feel a slight discomfort, but it is fast.
- AlejandroEstá bien, Sofía. Hagámoslo ahora.It's okay, Sofía. Let's do it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lumbar puncture” translations and entries punción lumbar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lumbar, punción, CC BY-SA 4.0.
