A research study from Johns Hopkins University discovered that distressing brain injuries were the 2nd most typical injury amongst grownups dealt with in U.S. emergency clinic.
The 3 most common leash-related injuries amongst grownups dealt with in U.S. emergency situation departments from 2001 to 2020 were fractures of the finger, distressing brain injury, and sprains or stress of the shoulder.
“According to a 2021–2022 national pet ownership survey, nearly 53%of U.S. households own at least one dog,” says Ridge Maxson, the research study’s very first author and a third-year medical trainee at The Johns Hopkins University. “Dog ownership also increased significantly in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.”
The scientists were from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Using 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 grownups looked for treatment in U.S. emergency clinic for injuries arising from leash-dependent dog walking from 2001 to 2020. Nearly half of all clients were grownups age 40 to 64, and 75% of clients were females. Most injuries took place due to falling after being pulled by, tangled in, or tripped by the leash linked to a dog they were walking.
The 3 most typical injuries amongst all grownups were, in order, finger fracture, TBI, and shoulder sprain or pressure. TBI and hip fracture were the 2 most typical injuries amongst grownups age 65 and older. TBIs determined in this research study included both concussions and nonconcussive internal head injuries, which can consist of brain contusion (a contusion of the brain tissue), epidural hematoma (bleeding in above the brain’s external membrane), or subdural hematoma (bleeding underneath the brain’s external membrane).
Notably, females with injuries associated with dog walking were 50% most likely than males to sustain a fracture. Older dog walkers were more than 3 times as most likely to experience a fall, more than two times as most likely to have a fracture, and 60% most likely to sustain a TBI than younger dog walkers.
Across the 20-year research study duration, the approximated yearly occurrence of injuries due to leash-dependent dog walking more than quadrupled. The scientists presume that this pattern might be because of concurrent increasing dog ownership rates and the promo of dog walking to enhance physical fitness.
The group hopes its findings will promote awareness amongst dog owners and motivate clinicians to go over the injury capacity of leash-dependent dog walking with their clients.
“Clinicians should be aware of these risks and convey them to patients, especially women and older adults,” says Edward McFarland, M.D., the research study’s senior author and director of the Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “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. Despite our findings, we also strongly encourage people to leash their dogs wherever it is legally required.”
The group likewise evaluated cases of leash-dependent dog walking injuries amongst kids under age 18. Those findings will be launched in the future.
Reference: “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 an expert for Stryker. All other authors have no disputes of interest, consisting of pertinent monetary interests, activities, relationships and associations, to state.
