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Taking the dog for a walk is a delightful task for many individuals, but studies suggest it leads to nearly $50 million in hand and wrist injuries annually in the UK.
And the number of injuries has been rising as more people take up dog ownership.
Going over available evidence, researchers found 491,400 wrist or hand injuries had been sustained by dog walkers in the UK between 2012 and 2024.
Finger fractures make up the majority of these injuries at 31 percent, followed by wrist fractures at 25 percent, finger soft tissue injuries at just over 24 percent, and wrist soft tissue injuries at 17 percent.
Injuries primarily result from being pulled by the leash, accounting for 68 percent, whereas tripping and falling cause 20 percent, and getting tangled in the leash accounts for 12 percent.
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The authors did concede that walking a dog also offered many physical and cognitive benefits.
“Although this review does not show dog-walking to be an outstanding risk factor for causing hand and wrist injuries within the adult population compared with all other causes, it does highlight a significant number of such injuries to be attributable to dog ownership, particularly in the elderly and female population,” the researchers said.
“Teaching safer leash-holding practices, such as holding the leash in the palm as opposed to finger or wrist wrapping, or leash choice, such as avoiding retractable devices that can lead to sudden increases in tensile force at the end of their working range, may be recommended.”
Dog obedience training may also be helpful, they add.
