Preventing Hand and Arm Injury While Leash Walking Your Dog
Walking is a valuable form of exercise for your dog and for you. However, leash walking can present a few injury hazards for the hands and arms.
Follow these simple tips to help prevent unnecessary injury and to ensure you remain safe while enjoying time with your furry pal.
Wear appropriate leash walking footwear.
Depending on the terrain you’ll be covering, this could include tennis shoes or hiking shoes. Inappropriate footwear and unstable footing may cause a fall on an outstretched arm and result in a wrist fracture.
Spend the time to properly train your dog.
This may reduce the likelihood that your pet will unexpectedly attempt to run off when distracted and pull forcefully on the leash.
Do not wrap your wrist or fingers in the leash.
Doing this may result in painful skin abrasions, a fractured finger or even a finger amputation if the leash is placed under forceful tension.
Keep the leash at an appropriate length.
Find the sweet spot. The appropriate leash length should permit maintaining control of your pet, while limiting the risk of your legs becoming tangled in the excess.
Employing a few precautionary measures can help ensure that your next sunny stroll with your furry best friend remains a walk in the park – and not a painful trip to the hospital emergency department.
Should you be unfortunate enough to suffer an arm or hand injury while walking your dog, our physical therapists will be ready to assist you when it’s time for your rehabilitation to begin.
