# How reliable are blood pressure meters IF having my blood pressure read puts me in pain? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007 "2018-02-17T17:39:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/1 "2018-02-17T17:39:41Z")
Wouldn’t pain affect your BP? And anticipation of pain? I have a hard time accepting what I get on my BP readings because of this. And yes, I’m fat, and I swear half my fat settled in my arms. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/2 "2018-02-17T17:56:11Z")
I’ve wondered that. What happens to your blood pressure when you have to wait an hour after your appointment time because the entire office is running late? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/3 "2018-02-17T18:00:54Z")
Always ask them nicely to switch to the larger cuff, as the other causes you pain. (And you suspect it’s driving up your numbers! ) A. They can’t know you have pain unless you tell them. If you know before hand, tell them! B. They have a larger cuff, but likely don’t think to use it unless someone asks! Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/4 "2018-02-17T18:13:47Z")
Assuming we are talking about automatic electronic sphygmomanometers, they should inflate the cuff just past the point where it no longer senses your pulse, i.e. where the air pressure in the cuff is equal to your blood pressure. So if it’s causing you pain, that in itself is a sign that your blood pressure is fairly high. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/5 "2018-02-17T19:04:25Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Assuming we are talking about automatic electronic sphygmomanometers, they should inflate the cuff just past the point where it no longer senses your pulse, i.e. where the air pressure in the cuff is equal to your blood pressure. So if it’s causing you pain, that in itself is a sign that your blood pressure is fairly high. It’s either type. You don’t think that having to press through an inch or more of fat would affect the reading, do you? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/6 "2018-02-17T20:54:44Z")
I’ve wondered this, but I assume they’re comparing your blood pressure against other people of your age and weight, plus your own previous readings. So if lots of people feel a little pain when having their blood pressure taken then that will have affected the average readings you’re being compared against. Does that make sense? > [@scr4](#): > > Assuming we are talking about automatic electronic sphygmomanometers, they should inflate the cuff just past the point where it no longer senses your pulse, i.e. where the air pressure in the cuff is equal to your blood pressure. So if it’s causing you pain, that in itself is a sign that your blood pressure is fairly high. Really? I’ve always found it painful and my blood pressure has always been low. I’m definitely big enough for the larger cuff either. It’s better with the automatic ones than the ones done by nurses though - sometimes it felt like they were trying to squeeze your arm off! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/7 "2018-02-18T04:06:30Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > I’ve wondered that. What happens to your blood pressure when you have to wait an hour after your appointment time because the entire office is running late? My doctor, if the reading is out of character with my chart, usually asks some questions about my drive there (she already knows about any wait) and other questions then rechecks it at the end of the appointment. It usually shows much lower and if it doesn’t we got into a closer monitoring-mode. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/8 "2018-02-18T08:01:50Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Wouldn’t pain affect your BP? And anticipation of pain? I have a hard time accepting what I get on my BP readings because of this. > > And yes, I’m fat, and I swear half my fat settled in my arms. Please ask your doctor for a thigh cuff (larger than a normal cuff). Yes, a cuff that is too tight can skew the results, usually to a much higher number. White coat syndrome ([White coat hypertension - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat_hypertension)) is also “a thing”, but my doctor feels it’s mostly overrated as a reason for higher pressure readings. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/9 "2018-02-18T14:03:25Z")
I bought an automatic sphygmomanometer that is meant to be used on the wrist. Battery operated. I’m guessing that the doctor will want to use their own, but it may be easier/less painful for you. Probably not as much fat/tissue to press through at your wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/10 "2018-02-20T02:52:52Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I’ve wondered this, but I assume they’re comparing your blood pressure against other people of your age and weight, plus your own previous readings. ! If only it was that easy. Some estimates put overtreatment due to this and similar effects as up to 40%. And “White coat hypertension” (high blood pressure in the presence of a doctor) is a known complication: one suggestion is that doctors should let you sit out of sight behind a curtain when they take your blood pressure, to encourage you to just calm down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/11 "2018-02-21T02:51:48Z")
The Missus’s doctor wanted to monitor her BP for a, whatever, period of time. She told us to take it three times in a row. Write them all down. Turns out, the last good BP monitor that I bought does that automatically on the right setting. You get different numbers that can somehow be checked. My doctor, of course does not do this, but when I take my BP three times in a row, the first one is predictably somewhat high, the second somewhat less high, and the third really nice. I don’t know what that means. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_gnomer/32/3466_2.png) [@Miss\_Gnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/12 "2018-02-21T03:09:28Z")
HATE having my blood pressure checked … it ALWAYS hurts me … doesn’t matter what they do, it hurts! My BP reading is usually in the normal range (occasionally low) … so if the pain, and anxiety about the pain, increases BP then maybe mine is actually lower?! Not sure why I’m so sensitive to the check, everyone else I talk to seems to have very little discomfort. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/13 "2018-02-23T14:30:19Z")
> [@Miss\_Gnomer](#): > > HATE having my blood pressure checked … it ALWAYS hurts me … doesn’t matter what they do, it hurts! My BP reading is usually in the normal range (occasionally low) … so if the pain, and anxiety about the pain, increases BP then maybe mine is actually lower?! > > Not sure why I’m so sensitive to the check, everyone else I talk to seems to have very little discomfort. Are you overweight, especially in the arms? It didn’t hurt for me when I was younger, but I gained a lot of weight in my arms and now it hurts like a mofo ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-reliable-are-blood-pressure-meters-if-having-my-blood-pressure-read-puts-me-in-pain/809007/14 "2018-02-23T20:52:14Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > If only it was that easy. Some estimates put overtreatment due to this and similar effects as up to 40%. > > And “White coat hypertension” (high blood pressure in the presence of a doctor) is a known complication: one suggestion is that doctors should let you sit out of sight behind a curtain when they take your blood pressure, to encourage you to just calm down a bit. 40% is pretty high. I guess it doesn’t help that everyone immediately assumes you must be in pain because you’re overweight even though it happens to skinny people too. Means they can act as if the pain is people’s own fault.