Pulse Points Diagram – Label the Arterial Pulse Sites

All 9 pulse points on the diagram

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Head, neck and arm 5

Superficial temporal artery A branch of the external carotid artery. It runs up the side of the head in front of the ear.
Facial artery A branch of the external carotid artery. Its pulse is felt where it crosses the lower jawbone.
Common carotid artery The main artery of the neck. With the radial artery at the wrist, it is one of the two places a pulse is usually taken.
Brachial artery The artery of the upper arm. Blood pressure is usually measured using it.
Radial artery It runs down the forearm beside the radius. It reaches the wrist on the thumb side. The pulse is most readily measured here.

Leg and foot 4

Femoral artery The main artery of the thigh.
Popliteal artery The femoral artery takes this name as it passes behind the knee. The point is on the back of the leg, so it is drawn dashed.
Posterior tibial artery It runs down the back of the lower leg. It passes behind the ankle bone on the inner side.
Dorsalis pedis artery The artery of the top of the foot. It continues from the artery down the front of the shin.

How this list was compiled: Every name and place checked on 2026-09-30 against OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.2 Blood Flow, Blood Pressure, and Resistance (the pulse; the radial artery in the wrist and the common carotid artery in the neck; the temporal and facial arteries in the head, the brachial arteries in the upper arm, the femoral arteries in the thigh, the popliteal arteries behind the knees, the posterior tibial arteries and the dorsalis pedis arteries in the feet), https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/20-2-blood-flow-blood-pressure-and-resistance, and section 20.5 Circulatory Pathways (the superficial temporal and facial branches of the external carotid artery, the brachial, radial, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis arteries), https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/20-5-circulatory-pathways, and against Wikipedia, Pulse (the list of common palpable sites), text only. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A standing figure with a target at each place a pulse can be felt and the artery under it drawn in. The first view covers the head, neck and arm; the second, the leg. Anatomy only: this page gives no medical advice.

Read the full guide

Head to foot

Numbers 1 to 3 are on the head and neck: the superficial temporal artery at the temple, the facial artery on the jaw and the common carotid artery in the neck. Numbers 4 and 5 are on the arm: brachial above the elbow, radial at the wrist. Numbers 6 to 9 run down the leg: femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis.

The popliteal point is behind the knee, so it is drawn dashed on this front view.
Each point is named for the artery under it: the radial artery runs beside the radius, the femoral artery down the thigh.

Questions and answers

Where are the pulse points on the body?

At the temple, on the jaw and in the neck; on the inside of the upper arm and at the wrist; and in the groin, behind the knee, behind the inner ankle bone and on the top of the foot.

What is a pulse?

When the heart pushes blood into the arteries, their elastic walls stretch and then spring back. That expanding and recoiling is the pulse. It can be felt where an artery runs close to the body surface.

Which pulse point is used most often?

The radial artery at the wrist, where the pulse is most readily measured. The common carotid artery in the neck is the other usual site.

Which artery is used to measure blood pressure?

Usually the brachial artery of the upper arm, the same artery whose pulse is felt on the inside of the arm above the elbow.