What Does My Blood Pressure Reading Indicate?

Posted on Sat, 30 Apr 2016

Question: my dr took my blood pressure using a pressure cuff. the cuff got so tight that it hurt badly. the systolic reading showed 200 then 199. my pressure generally is about 140/74 he had the pressure point of the cuff at the lower part of my left arm. when I got home my hand swelled up and was in extreme pain now 6 days later it is extremely swollen although the pain is less. a crp test read 71.8 and a uric acid test is normal I have had an xray of the hand but no results yet. could the pressure have damaged my radial nerve?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Not likely to cause a nerve injury.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
An increased pressure of the blood pressure cuff for a short while is not likely to cause a nerve or blood vessel damage causing pain and swelling later on. Any damage to nerve due to pressure recovers in 2-3 days. The rise of CRP is suggestive of an inflammation.
The pain and swelling of the hand could be due to arthritis. Do consult an orthopedician for proper examination.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar