RAMBLING

It’s recommended to attend a course before using Nordic walking sticks. In a good Nordic walking course, the trainer not only provides instruction on the correct use of the sticks but also on the right walking gear. However, in reality most people buy discount sticks and off they go!

The resulting injuries range from light sprains and hyperextension to muscle fibre tears, tendon damage, abrasions and even fractures. Beginners are especially prone to injuries – injuries which could have been avoided by using the right technique and a little bit of common sense. It’s another reason for carrying a small first aid kit in your backpack. Just to be safe side.

Pharmacy customer: Hello.
PTA: Hello. What can I do for you?

A group of us are heading off to the Bavarian Forest on a hiking tour and, as some of the men in the group have never been rambling before, or at least not very often, I thought it might be a good idea to take a first aid kit with me.
That is a very sensible idea.

What do you recommend that I put in the kit?
I suppose that you probably won’t have much capacity for taking cool packs with you, do you?

That’s right.
Firstly, I recommend this cooling spray. It contains menthol and some other essential oils to help soothe acute pain and reduce swelling and redness. It should be carried in such a way that it is not exposed to sunlight. The spray is excellent at cooling down sprains and strains, especially to knee and ankle joints.

That sounds good. What else do you recommend?
It’s always good to have insect repellent, especially at this time of the year when midges and ticks are starting to get active. If any of the group members suffer from allergies, it might be a good idea to ask them if they can bring their own medication with them.

That’s really a good idea. I’ll do that. What about grazes?
Grazes?

They are also called abrasions.
It’s a good idea to have a tweezers for removing dirt such as grit and plant material from the abrasion before disinfecting it. We have small tubes of ointment for cleansing and disinfecting wounds. Quite a few abrasions are only on the surface but still need some type of plaster to help speed up the healing process.

Could you also give me a few sterile dressings? And elastic strapping, just in case? You know for immobilising sprained joints, that type of thing?
Certainly, here you are

Good, I think we have covered everything. If I need anything I can drop by before going on the tour.
No problem. You might consider sending the other members of the group to us too!

I will, thank you. Bye for now.
Goodbye.

Vocabulary
Rambling Wandern
associated with in Verbindung gebracht werden mit …
walking gear Wanderklamotten
injuries Verletzungen
sprains Verstauchung, Verrenkung
hyperextension Überdehnung
muscle fibre tear Muskelfaserriss
tendon damage Sehnenschaden
abrasions Schürfwunden
fractures Brüche
prone to anfällig für
common sense gesunder Menschenverstand
essential oils ätherische Öle
soothe lindern
exposed to etw. ausgesetzt sein
ankle joints Knöchel-, Sprunggelenk
repellent Insektenschutzmittel
midges Mücken
ticks Zecken
grazes Schürfwunden
tweezers Pinzette
grit Splitt
ointment Jodsalbe

Den Artikel finden Sie auch in Die PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 05/12 auf Seite 28.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker