Femoral pulses

I'm an internist who learned physical diagnosis in the days before medicine had the array of imaging procedures available now. Consequently I always both palpated and auscultated the femoral pulses, looking for any disparities from one side to the other or bruits. Both findings were surprisingly common, especially in older individuals with arteriosclerotic vascular disease.

Exactly where do you feel for a femoral pulse? I've tried and can't feel mine. Then again, I can't feel it in the wrist either, though I was able to years ago.

Bbw4doc its relatively simple to find and feel both your pulse in the wrist ( radial pulse) and your femoral pulse,

For your radial pulse simply lay your index and third fingers on the inside of your wrist below the base of your thumb, between the bone and the tendon. This spot is over the radial artery. When you feel the thump of your pulse, count the beats for 15 seconds. Multiply the count by four to calculate the number of beats per minute ( never use if the person has an irregular pulse). Never use your thumb as it has a pulse of its own and can which can interfere with detecting the radial pulse.

A rough guide:

Newborns up to 1 month old: 70 to 190 bpm

Infants 1 to 11 months old: 80 to 160 bpm

Children 1 to 2 years old: 80 to 130 bpm

Children 3 to 4 years old: 80 to 120 bpm

Children 5 to 6 years old: 75 to 115 bpm

Children 7 to 9 years old: 70 to 110 bpm

Children 10 years and older, and adults (including seniors): 60 to 100 bpm

Well-trained athletes: 40 to 60 bpm

Now for the femoral pulse , again use the index, second , third and fourth fingers. Its easy to find but most textbooks will say press below the inguinal ligament and about midway between symphysis pubis and anterior superior iliac spine., all very technical and needs some medical knowledge of anatomy .

This Is how I was taught , it is evaluated with the patient lying on the back and the examiner at the patient's right side. the lateral corners of the public hair triangle are observed and palpated. the femoral artery should run obliquely (slantwise) through the corner of the pubic hair triangle below the inguinal ligament and midway between the pubic symphysis and the anterosuperioriliac spine. Both femoral pulses may be compared simultaneously.

This link shows exactly where your fingers should be placed:

http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/meded/medicine/pulmonar/pd/pstep42.htm

Hope this helps

RN

I get this done at every physical. The doctor presses his fingers down. I have had it done with and without my panties on. Never had a stethoscope used though.

Thank you for the info, RN.

Important part of overall physical exam.

I had my femorals checked only once in my life at a cardiology examination due to high cholesterol, but the doc was quick in doing that, later I had an echo at the lower arteries.

I’ve had at least one play doc assess femoral pulse. But never a real doctor! It’s one thing I absolutely love though! Hehe.

I’ve had a real doctor check my femoral pulse a few times. It’s always really exciting when they have move my underwear down a little bit. I can’t say they’ve ever used a stethoscope, normally they just feel it with their hands.

I definately find this appealing. It has never happened in a real life exam but would love to have it done in a play exam. The doc could adjust my underwear just enough to have the pulses evaluated.

I have had my femoral pulses checked during only one physical. This was only done by palpation, not by auscultation. I thought it added a lot to the building up of tension leading up to the embarrassment of the genital, hernia, and rectal exams. The doctor checked the pulses in my legs between the abdominal and rectal exams--which he did before the genital/hernia. In all my other physicals, the doctor performed abdominal followed by genital exams, so the somewhat innocuous check of the pulses provided for a delay in getting to the more embarrassing parts. The manner in which he checked the femoral pulses made me uneasy about what he was going to do. He reached inside the leg openings of my tighty whities and, while he did not touch my penis or scrotum at all, it gave me concern that he might proceed inside the pouch of my briefs to the parts of the exam that I dread. Just the feel of his fingertips sliding just under the leg openings of my briefs kind of gave me a chill through my body with anxiety. Then after groping for the femoral pulses, he proceeded down to my knees and ankles to check those pulses, providing a momentary respite before the dreaded parts of the physical. In retrospect, it would have been even greater if auscultation had been done as well as palpation.

I have had my femoral pulses checked during most of my physicals (growing up and as an adult). I have had them examined both via auscultation and palpation. To examine them, my doctor would just lift the waistband up of my underwear as I was lying down.

I've never had my femoral pulses assessed during a real exam. I did during a play exam. I was in my mid 20s, lying on a small bed in my grey boxer briefs. I already had a complete erection. The doctor lowered one side of the waistband, underneath my hardon, scooping it up in the process. So now he has my femoral area exposed, while clearly tenting the fabric with my hard dick now pointing straight towards the ceiling. While he was palpating my pulses, he asked me "Do you usually get an erection at the doctor?" I explained that I frequently do, and it's very embarrassing. To which he replied, "okay well then let's have a look." He grabbed both sides of my waistband, I lifted my hips, and he slid my underwear down. The waistband caught underneath my dick again, bending it all the way down and then having it spring back and slap against my abdomen as he lowered them. "Oh thats nice," he kinda reflexively said under his breath. He proceeded to give me a very thorough and deliberate exam. Then, my dick was so hard it was throbbing to every heart beat. He noticed this, repalpated my femoral pulse, and just observed by bouncing dick for a moment. "Heck you are so excited I can take your pulse by watching your penis throb!", he said as he was amused at what was going on.

My doctor always examines my femoral pulses. She has a regimen she follows. First she palpates each femoral pulse individually, then she auscultates each and finally she palpates each one last time while listening to my heart at the same time. Just a part of a thorough examination. My last doctor was similar in approach as well. This was added to my physicals after some slight mitral valve issues were identified. The femoral exam seems to take longer now with my current doc

I also find this interesting! Is there any reason why a doctor would do this during a "normal" exam? Is it something I could request? Somewhat related too, but what about foot pulses? I like the idea of that...

I usually check femoral pulses in play exams. One of my favorite “patients” is so lean you can see his femoral arteries throbbing

With my current physician, he will feel with his fingers and has use the stethoscope. It has never occurred to me to ask much about that since he then proceeds to examine my genitals as I lay there fully exposed. At that point, it's a matter of feeling totally self conscious and mentally allowing the exam to proceed.

Definitely an appealing part of a play exam! I love when my docs auscultate over my femorals - major turn on.

In real life though, ultra sound would be The actual thing done to look at the femoral arteries.

I also find this interesting! Is there any reason why a doctor would do this during a "normal" exam? Is it something I could request? Somewhat related too, but what about foot pulses? I like the idea of that...

@maggiemay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFW37SCUaF0

Never had my pulse checked at the femoral artery. Prior to ankle surgery they spent a lot of time finding my pulse in my ankle, so they could establish good blood flow after the procedure. Marked the location with a magic marker. Seem to recollect it being done prior to other leg surgeries (not mine). My doc always checks my ankle for “pooling” - breakdown of the circulation system. Look at your leg when you take your socks off - is there a puffiness right above your sock line? Mine is always puffy on the ankle that had surgery, never on the other one.

I had a physical recently and the doctor checked my femoral pulses with both auscultation and palpation.

I was on my back with my legs out straight, no panties under the gown. She tried to keep my private area covered but was mostly unsuccessful. It was one of the only times I've had a doctor examine me like that.

I faintly remember once at my pediatricians exam that he, while listening to my lower belly, he spread my legs and placed his stethoscope on my right femoral area and listened a few minutes before moving to the left side. It seemed like forever. Very embarrassing for me at that point, I don't recall my age. After that he took my pulse with his fingers on both sides.

My femoral pulses have been palpated sometimes, but not always. My pediatrician definitely used to do it, which made me extremely uncomfortable. I think my current doctor did at my last physical, but I don't think other doctors I've had as an adult have done it (I've had several, I've moved around a lot). It was always very short, like they were just making sure that a pulse was actually there. They never seemed to be counting or anything. I don't remember anyone ever auscultating there, just palpating.

There is the common femoral artery, , which branches off into the femoral artery and the profunda (or deep femoral artery).

So the common femoral artery branches off the external iliac artery which comes off of the aorta. The strongest pulse in the leg would be in the groin, where the common femoral artery is.

I also remember a couple of times with only the nurse present she was finishing up my vitals. She removed my underpants all the way off and had me spread my legs and palpated both my femoral pulses by holding my penis and testis to the side. A couple of times she did it with her stethoscope.

I was so embarrassed !

White Ive never had my femoral pulse taken, I did have an ultrasound of my femoral artery back in June. I went in for a case of celluitis on my upper thigh that was spreading really fast, and they wanted to check to make sure there wasnt a blood clot forming too. Thankfully there wasn't.

I also remember a couple of times with only the nurse present she was finishing up my vitals. She removed my underpants all the way off and had me spread my legs and palpated both my femoral pulses by holding my penis and testis to the side. A couple of times she did it with her stethoscope.

I was so embarrassed !

Embarrassing certainly. But it's also a turn on for me when I'm lying there and the doc says "I'm going to feel the pulses in your groin, can I ask you to lower your boxers for me?" and feels into my groin with their fingers to palpate my pulse and have their stethoscope in my groin brushing close to my willy.

Yeah, I agree that this is pretty hot. I have had femoral pulse taken some times but not every time.

I've listened to my femoral pulse with my doppler. I have a little murmurs at right

Had femoral pulses checked when I was younger. usually prior to abdominal exam.