Arterial stiffness
How fast your pulse travels through your arteries.
Pulse wave velocity
10 min
Heart & vessels
Sample reading
Ages 40–49
7.4
m/s
Optimal < 8
Raised 8–10
High > 10
Illustrative ranges. Your physician sets yours.
(01) How it’s done
On the day
Two light cuffs, one at the neck and one at the thigh, time the pulse wave as it travels between them. It takes ten minutes and does not hurt.
We take it lying down after the ECG, when your heart rate has settled.
(02) Why it matters
What it tells us
Arteries stiffen with age, blood pressure, smoking and high blood sugar. Stiff arteries push more strain onto the heart and the brain.
Pulse wave velocity gives a vascular age that is often more telling than blood pressure alone, and it improves with aerobic training.
(03) Same system
Heart & vessels
Measured on the same day, read by the same physician.
