How to Take Blood Pressure in Legs

If a person has a certain medical condition, a doctor may recommend that her blood pressure be measured in her legs. This is often the case in women who have undergone surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes during a breast biopsy. Mastectomy patients will also be recommended to have their blood pressure taken this way. To measure a person's blood...

Blood pressure can be measured from any artery that runs the near the surface of the skin. The basic way of measuring blood pressure is to apply pressure (using an air-filled cuff) to the artery and listening to the blood as it courses through the arteries. Blood pressure is typically measured on the arms using the brachial artery, but in some...

Anyone older than 70, and those 50 and older who are diabetic or with multiple risk factors for heart disease, should ask for the ankle-brachial index — which measures blood pressure from legs and arms, says Cleveland Clinic Dr. Heather Gornik.