Is Your High Blood Pressure Reading due to Bad Measuring Technique?
Do you know if your blood pressure reading was done correctly? It is shocking how frequently BP measurement mistakes are made.
Proper blood pressure measurement requires the patient to be seated in a chair with back support & both feet on the floor. The arm should be supported at heart level, the cuff should be the right size and there should be no talking. Otherwise, the reading could be inaccurate.
When a blood pressure reading is falsely elevated either because the cuff is the wrong size or your arm is in the wrong position, you could be mistakenly diagnosed as hypertensive. That can set in motion a domino effect.
First, you are labeled with a chronic condition: high blood pressure or hypertension. That can affect life insurance, health insurance and employment. It also affects sense of self. You are now no longer “normal.” A diagnosis of high blood pressure can ...
also lead to medication, with potential side effects.