How do you take the pulse of the foot?

The pulse in the foot can be felt in either the dorsalis pedis or the tibialis posterior arteries, according to Patient Plus. The University of Sydney shows that the dorsalis pedis runs along the top of the foot, and the tibialis posterior artery runs just behind the ankle bone.

The foot pulses are felt in the same fashion as feeling any pulse, namely, by lightly pressing the tip of the fingers against the artery, explains Patient Plus. The foot artery pulses are generally only examined to assess the status of the foot circulation in patients with diabetes and to check for peripheral vascular disease, according to Patient Plus.