TBI and hip fracture were the two most common injuries among senior dog-walkers.
Walking the family dog is good exercise, but it also puts adult pet owners — particularly women and seniors — at risk of serious injuries such as bone fractures and traumatic brain injuries, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.
Using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, the researchers examined 20 years of emergency department records and found that finger fractures, TBIs, and shoulder sprains were the most common injury among the approximately 422,659 adults who sought treatment related to walking a leashed dog between 2001 and 2020.
The researchers also found that women, and all adults age 65 and older, were more likely to sustain serious injuries, such as fractures and TBIs, than people in other demographic groups.
TBI and hip fracture were the two most common injuries among adults age 65 and older, and women were 50% more likely than men to sustain a fracture. Older dog walkers were more than three times as likely to experience a fall, more than twice as likely to have a fracture and 60% more likely to sustain a TBI than younger dog walkers.
Across the 20-year study period, the estimated annual incidence of injuries due to leash-dependent dog walking more than quadrupled. The researchers say this may be due to concurrent rising dog ownership rates and promotion of dog walking to improve fitness.
The team hopes its findings will promote awareness among dog owners and encourage clinicians to discuss the injury potential of leash-dependent dog walking with their patients.
The study was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
"Dog ownership also increased significantly in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Ridge Maxson, the study's first author and a third-year medical student at The Johns Hopkins University.
"Although dog walking is a common daily activity for many adults, few studies have characterized its injury burden. We saw a need for more comprehensive information about these kinds of incidents."
Edward McFarland, MD, the study's senior author and director of the Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, says "clinicians should be aware of these risks and convey them to patients, especially women and older adults."
"We encourage clinicians to screen for pet ownership, assess fracture and fall risk, and discuss safe dog walking practices at regular health maintenance visits for these vulnerable groups," McFarland says. "Despite our findings, we also strongly encourage people to leash their dogs wherever it is legally required."
“Clinicians should be aware of these risks and convey them to patients, especially women and older adults.”
Edward McFarland, MD, director, Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Finger fractures, TBIs, and shoulder sprains were the most common injury among the approximately 422,659 adults who sought treatment related to walking a leashed dog between 2001 and 2020.
The researchers also found that women, and all adults age 65 and older, were more likely to sustain serious injuries, such as fractures and TBIs, than people in other demographic groups.
TBI and hip fracture were the two most common injuries among adults age 65 and older, and women were 50% more likely than men to sustain a fracture.
Older dog walkers were more than three times as likely to experience a fall, more than twice as likely to have a fracture and 60% more likely to sustain a TBI than younger dog walkers.