when patients get their blood pressure taken at the doctor’s office, the doctor requires you to sit, legs uncrossed. But what would happen if we stand up to get our blood pressure taken? can we stand? or do we have to sit? And why?
when patients get their blood pressure taken at the doctor’s office, the doctor requires you to sit, legs uncrossed. But what would happen if we stand up to get our blood pressure taken? can we stand? or do we have to sit? And why?
I believe it has to do with not obstructing the flow of blood returning from the lower extremities any more than necessary, to give a more accurate pressure reading at rest. If you’re walking or running, alternating muscle contraction helps to pump the blood upward, but if you’re just standing, the general muscle engagement to keep you standing can slow it. But I could be wrong about this.