HEALTHLINE – Does it really matter whether your arm is resting on your lap or hanging by your side when you have your blood pressure taken? Experts say it just might.
In a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers say three different arm positions produced three different blood pressure readings with a difference of 4 to 7 points on the top and bottom numbers.
The researchers found that blood pressure taken while a person’s arm is resting on a hard surface such as a desk or arm chair produced the most accurate readings.
If a person’s actual top number on a blood pressure reading is 115, an incorrect arm position could increase that mark to more than 120, pushing them into the category of elevated blood pressure.
If someone’s actual measurement is 126, a misreading could bump that number above 130 and into the category of stage 1 hypertension.
Experts say not only would a person be misdiagnosed with high blood pressure, they could also be prescribed unnecessary medication.
“This is a very practically useful study that reiterates the importance of proper blood pressure measurement technique in order to obtain the most accurate blood pressure readings,” said Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in California.
“This study shows that seemingly small differences in blood pressure measurement technique can affect blood pressure readings.
While a 4-to-7 point difference in a blood pressure reading may not seem like a lot, it is enough to push someone’s blood pressure into a higher category, such that they may end up being started on a blood pressure medication that they might not need,” Chen, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Healthline …
