Your heartbeat sends a pressure wave through every artery, so you can count beats per minute at more than one place on the body. The wrist (radial artery), neck (carotid artery), and inner thigh (femoral artery) each connect to a different artery in a different region. Checking multiple pulse sites — and using a stethoscope to match the pulse to the heart sounds — confirms how the rate holds consistent across the body.

Each heartbeat sends a pressure wave through every artery in the body. You can find this beat in more places than just the wrist. At the wrist it travels through the radial artery; at the neck, the carotid artery; and behind the knee, a different artery carrying blood to that region. Each pulse point connects to a specific part of the body. As pressure rises during systole (the pumping phase) and falls during diastole (the resting phase), a stethoscope can help you match the pulse to the heart sounds.

The circulatory system moves blood to every part of your body through arteries. You can feel this blood flow as a pulse at the wrist (radial artery), neck (carotid artery), and inner thigh (femoral artery). A stethoscope helps you match the pulse to the heart sounds.

Each heartbeat sends the force of blood pushing through every artery as a pressure wave. You can feel this wave at the wrist (radial artery), the neck (carotid artery), and behind the knee. Each pulse point connects to a different artery carrying blood to a specific region of the body.

Every heartbeat sends a pressure wave through your arteries. When the heart squeezes blood out during systole, that pressure spikes. When it fills back up during diastole, the pressure drops. You can feel this two-part rhythm as a pulse — at the wrist, the neck, behind the knee, or several other sites. Comparing those pulse sites reveals how blood pressure rises and falls with each pumping phase.