Hand and wrist injuries caused by walking dogs on a leash cost insurance companies millions of dollars

An international group of scientists from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness (Scotland) and Senkang Hospital in Singapore studied medical statistics and concluded that walking dogs on a leash causes many hand and wrist injuries.

Previously, doctors had already stated that daily walks with a dog are very beneficial to health — they promote physical activity, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and help control weight. However, as a new study published in the journal BMJ Injury Prevention has shown, walking a dog can also pose a serious danger. These are injuries sustained by pet owners as a result of sudden jerks on the leash, which cause falls and damage to the hands and wrists.

Scientists note that such injuries cost the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) more than £23 million annually. These are mainly fractures of the fingers and radius, as well as soft tissue injuries. According to the researchers, hand and wrist injuries account for up to 30% of all emergency room visits and 20% of all acute fractures.

The analysis is based on five studies covering cases of injuries related to dog walking. All of them were published between 2012 and 2024 and covered a total of 491,373 patients, of whom almost three-quarters (364,904) were women. About 65,623 (almost 13.5%) were under the age of 18, and 152,247 (31%) were over the age of 65. The study was conducted by specialists from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness (Scotland) and Senkang Hospital in Singapore. The main conclusion: most injuries are not caused by the dogs themselves, but by the behavior of their owners and careless handling of the leash.

The British Society for Surgery of the Hand notes that wrapping the leash around the wrist, hand, or fingers when the dog jerks sharply can lead to serious injury. It is also dangerous to put your fingers under a dog’s collar — such actions often cause fractures.

According to the data collected, more than two-thirds of all injuries were caused by the dog jerking the leash sharply. The remaining cases were related to falls caused by tripping over the dog or getting tangled in the leash. The most common injuries were broken fingers and wrists — about 62,000 such cases were recorded. More than a third of the victims were people over 65, and almost 75% were women.

The authors note that although walking a dog does not pose a significantly greater risk to the hands and wrists than other everyday activities, the nature of the injuries sustained requires attention. Such injuries are often difficult to treat, and full recovery of finger mobility is not always possible.

The researchers also say: “It is advisable to teach safer ways of holding the leash, such as holding it in the palm of the hand rather than gripping it with the fingers or wrist, and choosing the right leash, for example, avoiding retractable devices that can cause a sudden increase in tensile force at the end of the working range.” They add that it may also be helpful to train dogs to obey commands.