Staying Healthy
Women more likely to be injured while walking a leashed dog
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- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Women and older adults are more likely to sustain serious injuries — including fractures and head trauma — than other adults while walking a leashed dog, a new analysis suggests.
The study, published online April 14, 2023, by Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Researchers learned that nearly 423,000 adults sought treatment in emergency rooms from 2001 to 2020 for injuries sustained while walking a leashed dog. About half were people ages 40 to 64, while 75% were women. Most injuries resulted from falling after being pulled by, tangled in, or tripped by the leash connected to the dog. But women with dog-walking injuries were 50% more likely than men to sustain a broken bone. Meanwhile, adults 65 and older were more than three times as likely as younger adults to experience a fall, twice as likely to suffer a broken bone, and 60% more likely sustain a head injury (such as concussion).
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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