1 The top number is called the systolic blood pressure. 2  For most people, this reading is too high if it is 140 or higher. 3  The bottom number is called the diastolic blood pressure. 4  For most people, this reading is too high if it is 90 or higher.
What causes joints to make snapping, popping noises? Q: I am a 20-year-old in okay shape and health, but the joints in my upper and lower back and shoulders are always stiff and snap all the time. Are noisy joints the sign of some problem? A: Snapping and popping of joints is common. The sound you hear is caused by air bubbles in the synovial fluid â the liquid that surrounds and lubricates your joints â and by the snapping of tightly stretched ligaments as they slide off one bony surface onto another.
Please tell us what is causing this and what can be done about it. --A.D., Easton, Pa. A. The cracking sound a person's jaw makes when it is moved almost always comes from the temporomandibular joint. Sometimes the sound is soft enough that only the jaw's owner can hear it, but sometimes the sound can be heard across the room.