Traumatic brain injury is the second most common injury suffered by people walking their dog, according to a new study. The most common is a finger fracture, followed by traumatic brain injury then a sprained or strained shoulder.
And researchers found it was women and people over 65 who bore the brunt of the most serious injuries. The study comes from emergency room statistics from 2001 to 2020 and only relates to people who had their dog on a lead at the time.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US say the findings are particularly relevant given the surge in dog ownership in the pandemic. Ridge Maxson, the study’s first author and a third-year medical student, said: "Although dog walking is a common daily activity for many adults, few studies have characterised its injury burden.
