Foot pulse location

A vital part of the vascular physical examination is the pulse examination.

Can't find pulse in foot

It is not uncommon to see medical charts in which only specific pulses are palpated (e.g. the radial pulse). It is even more common to see charts with inaccurate descriptions of the pulse examination. For instance the term ‘pedal pulses intact’ may be used instead of describing which pulses exactly were palpated and what their quality was.

The following few paragraphs will summarize the appropriate lower extremity pulse examination:

Which pulses should be examined in the legs?

Four pulses should be examined in the legs.

In my opinion every adult patient should have these pulses documented at least once in their chart for baseline, and then again if lower extremity symptoms appear:

1. Femoral pulse
2. Popliteal pulse
3. Posterior tibial pulse
4. Dorsalis pedis pulse

How should lower extremity pulses be described?

Pulse description is a recurrent theme in the vascular examination.

There are several common methods including a scale of 0-4 and a scale of 0-2. I prefer the 0-2 scale*:

• 0 – No
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