May 4, 2024

Walking Your Dog Could Increase Your Risk of Traumatic Brain Injury

A study from Johns Hopkins University found that distressing brain injuries were the second most common injury among grownups treated in U.S. emergency clinic.
The three most prevalent leash-related injuries amongst adults dealt with in U.S. emergency situation departments from 2001 to 2020 were fractures of the finger, distressing brain injury, and sprains or pressures of the shoulder.
A research study released in Medicine & & Science in Sports & & Exercise reports that in between 2001 and 2020, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) ranked as the 2nd most frequent injury among grownups who sought treatment for injuries connected to walking their leashed canines in U.S. emergency situation rooms. The research conducted by Johns Hopkins University shows that people and ladies aged 65 and over are at a greater threat of sustaining serious injuries, including fractures and TBIs, compared to other group groups.
” According to a 2021– 2022 nationwide pet ownership study, nearly 53% of U.S. households own at least one dog,” states Ridge Maxson, the studys first author and a third-year medical trainee at The Johns Hopkins University. Pet walking is a typical daily activity for numerous adults, few studies have actually characterized its injury burden.

The scientists were from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, which is run by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the researchers discovered that an estimated 422,659 adults looked for treatment in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries arising from leash-dependent canine strolling from 2001 to 2020. Almost half of all clients were grownups age 40 to 64, and 75% of clients were ladies. Many injuries took place due to falling after being pulled by, tangled in, or tripped by the leash connected to a dog they were walking.
The 3 most typical injuries among all adults were, in order, finger fracture, TBI, and shoulder sprain or strain. TBI and hip fracture were the two most typical injuries amongst grownups age 65 and older. TBIs identified in this research study consisted of both concussions and nonconcussive internal head injuries, which can include brain contusion (a swelling of the brain tissue), epidural hematoma (bleeding in above the brains external membrane), or subdural hematoma (bleeding beneath the brains outer membrane).
Especially, females with injuries associated with dog walking were 50% most likely than guys to sustain a fracture. Older dog walkers were more than three times as most likely to experience a fall, more than twice as likely to have a fracture, and 60% most likely to sustain a TBI than more youthful pet walkers.
Across the 20-year study duration, the projected yearly occurrence of injuries due to leash-dependent dog walking more than quadrupled. The researchers posit that this trend might be because of concurrent increasing pet ownership rates and the promotion of pet walking to improve fitness.
The team hopes its findings will promote awareness among pet owners and encourage clinicians to discuss the injury potential of leash-dependent pet strolling with their clients.
” Clinicians ought to understand these threats and communicate them to clients, particularly women and older adults,” says Edward McFarland, M.D., the research studys senior author and director of the Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We encourage clinicians to evaluate for pet ownership, assess fracture and fall threat, and go over safe canine walking practices at routine health upkeep gos to for these susceptible groups. Despite our findings, we also strongly encourage people to leash their canines any place it is legally needed.”
The team also examined cases of leash-dependent dog strolling injuries among kids under age 18. Those findings will be launched in the future.
Recommendation: “Epidemiology of Dog Walking-Related Injuries Among Adults Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments, 2001-2020” by Ridge Maxson, Christopher R. Leland, Edward G. McFarland, Jim Lu, Prashant Meshram and Vanya C. Jones, 14 April 2023, Medicine & & Science in Sports & & Exercise.DOI: 10.1249/ mss.0000000000003184.
Edward McFarland is a specialist for Stryker. All other authors have no disputes of interest, consisting of pertinent financial interests, relationships, associations and activities, to state.

Pet dog walking is a common everyday activity for numerous grownups, couple of research studies have actually defined its injury burden. Utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, which is run by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the scientists discovered that an approximated 422,659 adults sought treatment in U.S. emergency spaces for injuries resulting from leash-dependent canine walking from 2001 to 2020. The majority of injuries occurred due to falling after being pulled by, tangled in, or tripped by the leash connected to a dog they were strolling.
The 3 most common injuries among all adults were, in order, finger fracture, TBI, and shoulder sprain or pressure. TBI and hip fracture were the two most typical injuries amongst adults age 65 and older.