When walking your dog, do you wrap its leash around your wrist or fingers? Do you use a retractable leash? Either way, you may be putting yourself at risk for an injury depending on how you hold the leash.
Hand and wrist ailments account for nearly a quarter of injuries suffered by dog walkers, according to a recent study.
Researchers examined the results of five previous studies related to injuries involving dog walkers. Those studies identified more than 491,000 injuries in the United States and United Kingdom – and found that 22.5% were specific fractures or soft-tissue injuries to the hand or wrist.
Of those injuries, finger fractures (31%) were the most common, followed by wrist fractures (25%), soft-tissue finger injuries (24%) and soft-tissue wrist injuries (17%).
In 68.5% of direct injuries, owners were pulled by a leash, while tripping over the leash/dog and falling was the culprit 20% of the time.
Women and older adults were disproportionately affected.
To prevent injuries, the researchers recommend holding a leash in the palm of the hand and not using retractable devices that “can lead to sudden increases in tensile force at the end of their working range.” Another suggestion: Enroll your dog in an obedience class.
The study was published in the journal Injury Prevention.
