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 The study, which used information from a U.S. database of emergency
room patients, found that cases of fractures in dog walkers over age
65 more than doubled from 2004 to 2017.
"If you have a dog companion, that's great," said senior author Dr.
Jaimo Ahn, co-director of orthopedic trauma and fracture
reconstruction at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
"But as you walk your dog, be mindful and careful. Beyond that, use
the walking as an opportunity to ask how fit and strong you feel.
And then make a plan - with your doctor, family or friends - to
become more fit, strong and healthy."
After caring for a number of patients after accidents while walking
their dogs, Ahn decided to look into how common these injuries were.
He and his colleagues analyzed data from the National Electronic
Injury Surveillance System, maintained by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission to track a nationally-representative sample of 100
U.S. hospital emergency departments.
In total, they found cases representing 32,624 fall-related
fractures involving older people walking leashed dogs between 2004
and 2017, according to the report in JAMA Surgery.
The numbers of these incidents had been rising for more than a
decade, from 1,671 in 2004 to 4,396 in 2017.
Most fractures, 79 percent, were in women. The bone most often
broken was the hip, with over 17 percent of patients experiencing a
hip fracture. However, more than half of patients broke a bone in
the upper extremity region that includes shoulders, arms, hands,
wrists and fingers.
In 29 percent of cases, the injuries were so severe that patients
were admitted to the hospital.
Ahn and colleagues suggest that one way to prevent these kinds of
fractures is for dog owners to seek out obedience training for their
pets. Another possibility would be working on strength training for
the owners.
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"There is more and more research coming out that resistance training
- not just cardiovascular exercise - is good for your body and mind
as you age," Ahn said in an email. "Accidents will happen in life
but if you're stronger and quicker, you're better prepared and less
likely to be injured."
The authors also suggest that smaller dogs might be safer for older
people. Their data, however, didn't include information on the size
of the dogs involved in the accidents.
The new findings didn't surprise Dr. Jeffrey Geller, chief of
orthopedic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital and
chief of the division of hip and knee reconstruction at the NewYork-Presbyterian
Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "It certainly
happens," Geller said.
Geller believes the best professionals to intervene with older
patients with big rambunctious dogs are veterinarians. "I can't say
that I screen everyone who comes into my office for pets and the
size dog they own," he said. "But a veterinarian who perhaps sees a
70 lb. German Shepard with a little old lady might be the one to
intervene."
One thing primary care doctors could do for senior patients is
screen more often for bone density, Geller noted. "Everyone is
screening for high blood pressure and heart disease," he said. "But
screening rates for osteoporosis are not great."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2C4xiaX JAMA Surgery, online March 6, 2019.
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