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The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Dogs pulling on leads cause large number of hand and wrist injuries in UK, study shows
Walking your dog may be good for you and your canine companion, but research shows it can also be dangerous. While the health benefits are numerous – encouraging increased activity levels and physical exercise, improving cardiovascular health and weight – researchers found that being pulled on the lead increases the risk of falls and injuries. The research published in BMJ Injury Prevention estimates that there are so many hand and wrist injuries among the walkers of the UK's 13 million pet dogs that it could be costing the NHS in excess of £23m a year. Hand and wrist injuries account for up to 30% of all cases treated in accident and emergency departments and 20% of acute fractures. The British Society for the Surgery of the Hand says hooking fingers under a dog's collar can cause finger fractures, while wrapping the lead around the wrist, hand or fingers can cause serious injury if the dog pulls suddenly. Experts from Raigmore hospital in Inverness and Sengkang general hospital in Singapore reviewed five US studies involving almost 500,000 injuries from dog walking. Of these, more than a fifth were specific fractures or soft tissue injuries to the hand and wrist. Finger and wrist fractures were the most common, accounting for just under 62,000 injuries. And more than two-thirds of injuries were caused by the dog pulling its lead, with the remainder attributed to tripping over the lead or dog and falling, and getting tangled up in the lead. While dog walking is not any riskier than other activities for injuring hands or wrists, the study found that women and older adults were disproportionately affected by dog walking injuries. Almost three-quarters of the injuries were among women and just under a third among those over the age of 65. The authors then modelled the potential costs of treating fractures and casts for broken wrist bones and calculated that treating distal radius fractures caused by dog walking-related injury could cost the NHS in England more than £23m a year alone. The figure does not include the wider economic impact of patients being unable to work and potentially higher care needs, the authors added. 'Preventive measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk,' the authors said. 'Policies should teach dog owners optimal dog walking practices to minimise injuries and enforce adequate dog training to reduce the risk of dogs injuring the person walking them.' Responding to the findings, Mark Bowditch, the president of the British Orthopaedic Association, said: 'Dog ownership is often promoted and encouraged for the multiple health benefits described. Nevertheless this data demonstrates that injuries may occur during the day-to-day activities of living with dogs. 'Hand, wrist and arm or shoulder injuries are very common and increasing. They can cause considerable functional disruption and interference. Owners needed to be informed and educated about how best to prevent these injuries, he added. 'This may be the breed suitability and exercise needs, simple available training, leash design, usage and handling.' Ryan Trickett, the communications chair of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, said: 'Anecdotally we have known there are some risks to dog walking for many years, and this review enables a better understanding of the burden of this problem. 'Sudden pulls from the lead or the collar can easily cause walkers to fall and fracture their wrist. However, other injuries are also common in this scenario. Twisting injuries to the finger can be particularly damaging as they cause tears in the skin and often underlying finger fractures. These injuries can be troublesome to treat and the finger rarely returns to complete normality.' A spokesperson for the Kennel Club said: 'All owners should recognise how important it is to train their dog to walk on a lead without pulling or straining, to avoid injury for both dogs and people, and as part of making sure their four-legged friend is a good canine citizen.' This would help ensure owners could remain in control of their dog while walking among people, other dogs and distractions, and without pulling. He added: 'Choosing the right collar, lead and equipment from the offset is also important – they need to be comfortable, well-fitted and secure.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Injured dog walkers could be costing NHS £23m a year
Injured dog walkers could be costing the NHS about £23m a year, a study suggests. Hand and wrist injuries from a yanked lead are said to be the most common mishap. Experts from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and Singapore's Sengkang Hospital looked at the "understudied topic" by reviewing five US studies of almost 500,000 dog-walking injuries. Women made up three-quarters of the injuries, and 31% of the cases were in over-65s. Researchers - writing in the journal Injury Prevention - found that broken fingers were the most common injury. Looking at the UK's population of about 8.5 million - one for every seven or eight people - the study estimated the cost of fixing the fractures suffered by unfortunate owners. "While finger fractures were the most frequently reported injury, the cost analysis in this review focused on distal radius [wrist] fractures due to their substantial economic impact," said researchers. "We estimated the potential annual cost of dog walking-related wrist fractures in the UK to exceed £23m." Read more from Sky News: However, they said the total economic cost would be bigger due to loss of productivity from some people needing time off work. "Preventative measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk," the study suggested. As well as teaching "optimal dog walking practices", it also recommended enforcing proper dog training to minimise the chances of pets hurting their human companion.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Injured dog walkers could be costing NHS £23m a year
Injured dog walkers could be costing the NHS about £23m a year, a study suggests. Hand and wrist injuries from a yanked lead are said to be the most common mishap. Experts from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and Singapore's Sengkang Hospital looked at the "understudied topic" by reviewing five US studies of almost 500,000 dog-walking injuries. Women made up three-quarters of the injuries, and 31% of the cases were in over-65s. Researchers - writing in the journal Injury Prevention - found that broken fingers were the most common injury. Looking at the UK's population of about 8.5 million dogs - one for every seven or eight people - the study estimated the cost of fixing the fractures suffered by unfortunate owners. "While finger fractures were the most frequently reported injury, the cost analysis in this review focused on distal radius [wrist] fractures due to their substantial economic impact," said researchers. "We estimated the potential annual cost of dog walking-related wrist fractures in the UK to exceed £23m." However, they said the total economic cost would be bigger due to loss of productivity from some people needing time off work. "Preventative measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk," the study suggested. As well as teaching "optimal dog walking practices", it also recommended enforcing proper dog training to minimise the chances of pets hurting their human companion.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- BBC News
'Common sense' call over Highland A82 work to avoid disruption
Calls have been made for a "common sense" approach to roadworks on a major Highland trunk road. Planned work in Fort William and near Drumnadrochit could bring further disruption on the A82 Inverness to Glasgow road for the third time this month. Lochaber councillor Andrew Baxter fears visitors and people accessing medical appointments at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness will be impacted. Trunk road maintenance company Bear Scotland said all road closures were agreed in advance with key partners. Mr Baxter told BBC Scotland News: "We are desperate for these road improvements to happen."But a bit of common sense and a bit of understanding about local circumstances would help enormously."Work at Nevis Bridge in Fort William is due to start on full overnight closures were to be following pressure from local politicians, Bear Scotland has agreed to run a convoy this month, the A82 will be closed to the south of Drumnadrochit overnight for three nights to allow for resurfacing work. Amnesties were put in place during recent works at Loch Lochy, near Spean Bridge, allowing traffic to pass at set times.A spokesperson for Bear Scotland added that closures were scheduled overnight when there was less traffic on the road to ensure "the lowest level of impact" on journeys.
STV News
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- STV News
Teenager in serious condition after car crashes down embankment
A teenager is in a serious condition after crashing a car down an embankment in Inverness. Police were called to a single-vehicle crash on the A82 between Inverness and Fort William at Dunain around 6am on Sunday. The car involved, a silver-coloured Volkswagen Golf GTI, was found down an embankment. The 18-year-old male driver was taken to Raigmore Hospital where his condition is described as serious but stable. Officers are searching for a grey-coloured Mercedes A180 that was seen heading towards the crash site before being driven back towards Inverness a short time later. Anyone who saw the vehicle before or after the crash was reported is being urged to get in touch. Sergeant Chris Donaldson from the Road Policing Unit said: 'I am appealing to any road users who were in the area around the time of the incident and saw either the Golf GTI or the Mercedes A180 to please contact us with any information you have, particularly if you have dash cam equipment. It could prove significant as we establish the full circumstances of the crash.' Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 0724 of Sunday, June 8, 2025. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
