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.
Harmless pops. The most common noises are what he calls benign pops or high-pitched snaps. These are thought to occur when the fluid-filled sac within joints gets stretched by a sudden change in joint position. The resulting pressure and volume change, pulls some dissolved gases out of solution [from the joint fluid] and the gases make bubbles that are unstable and pop.