VOA健康报道2024--Ways to Protect Yourself from Injures while Walking Your Dog

Over the past 20 years, injuries related to dog walking have been on the rise among adults and children in the U.S., Johns Hopkins University researchers say.

The most common kinds of injuries include broken bones, sprains² and head trauma³.

From 2001 to 2020, the estimated number of adults treated for dog-walking injuries at emergency departments increased from 7,300 to 32,300 a year. That comes from lead researcher Ridge⁴ Maxson who spoke⁵ to the Associated Press.

Of those patients, 75 percent were women. Forty-seven percent were adults between ages 40 and 64.

But that information is only for visits to emergency rooms. Maxson said many people might seek treatment at other healthcare centers for their injuries, including at primary care, specialty⁶ or urgent care clinics.

He noted⁷ that dog ownership has become increasingly common in the United States with about half of households having at least one dog.

How to protect yourself

Safe dog walking involves careful attention and, in some cases, special equipment. That can be especially true in bad weather conditions.

However, multitasking - doing several tasks at once - can be dangerous. That includes using your mobile phone while doing something else.

"You can't really afford to relax when you walk a powerfully built dog...You have to pay attention," said Noel Holston, a dog owner in Athens, Georgia.

In the early 2000s, Holston was walking his 30-kilogram dog in a park near his home when a large bird made a noise. His dog did what dogs often do and ran after the bird. That pulled Holston off the sidewalk.

"I stepped into a hole and heard my left ankle snap. The pain was so intense. I almost passed out," said Holston who is now 76 years old.

Running with a leashed dog is another risk no matter how well trained you think your dog is. The activity is especially dangerous with a dog that is easily surprised or very young. That is what happened to Robert Godosky in New York City.

"My dog...was relatively¹⁰ new to us. He got spooked and got in front of me, and I went flying over the dog...I ended up breaking two ribs," he said.

There are other dangers in rural areas, said Steven Haywood, an emergency room doctor in Corinth, Mississippi.

"Getting struck by vehicles," he said. "That's definitely the most life-threatening injury when people are walking their dogs."

Areas like his have many roads without sidewalks or wide shoulders. That is especially dangerous when people wear dark clothes with no reflectors or lights and their animal also does not have such protection.

In addition to lights and reflectors, there are other things that can minimize dog-walking risks.

During snowy or icy weather, wear shoes with good treads. Consider wearing shoes with spikes¹¹ or studs.

Maxson suggests using a non-retractable¹³ leash⁹ of 1.8 to 2.4 meters. "Longer leashes¹⁴ are more likely to get tangled¹⁵ around your legs and cause falls. Retractable leashes can sometimes make your dog more difficult to control."

They can cause burns when held too close to the body, if they lengthen¹⁶ or retract¹² too quickly.

In San Francisco, dog trainer Shoshi Parks recommends a no-pull harness with a leash clipped to a dog's chest rather than their back. It gives the walker more control and puts less strain on the dog.

Parks suggests holding a leash at your center of gravity, near your torso, hip⁸ or thigh¹⁷. Put your hand through the loop of a leash and hold it a little lower down.

She calls retractable leashes "no go," meaning you should not use them. They can cause burns when held too close to the body if they lengthen or retract too quickly.

Other ways to protect yourself

For people with problems balancing or moving around, experts suggest seeking help walking a dog, especially in bad weather. Helpers could include a neighbor, an older child or a professional dog walker.

Haywood and Maxson agreed that balance and strength-training exercises, especially for older adults, can help decrease the risk of falls and broken bones.

And they said working with a dog trainer helps not only the dog but the walker, who can learn to read their dog's body language better.

"Even young, healthy, strong people may have difficulty controlling larger breeds that aren't used to walking on a leash. Any exercise to give strength, give balance, is going to help," Haywood said. "Make sure you can control the dog that you're walking."

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

sprain¹ -n. an injury to the tissue that connects bones at joints¹⁸ like the knees, wrists, elbows or ankles

trauma -n. damage to tissue from force or a blow

clinic -n. a center that provides health care but is not as large as a hospital

relax - v. to make less tense or rigid¹⁹; to make less severe or stringent²⁰

get spooked - v. (phrasal) to become scared or frightened from something seen or heard

tread - n. the part of a shoe or boot sole that touches the ground

retract - v. to draw back or in

1 sprain   

n.扭伤,扭筋

参考例句：

• He got a foot sprain in his ankle. 他脚踝受了严重的扭伤。
• The sprain made my ankle swell up. 我的脚踝扭伤肿了起来。

2 sprains   

扭伤( sprain的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Bruises, sprains, muscular pain, muscular fatigue, lumbago, stiff shoulders, backache. 跌打扭伤，肌肉疼痛，肌肉疲劳，腰痛，肩肌僵直，背痛。
• For recent injuries such as sprains and headaches, cold compresses are recommended. 对最近的一些伤病，例如扭伤和头痛，建议进行冷敷。

3 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

4 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

9 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。

13 retractable   

adj.可收回的；可撤消的；可缩回的；可缩进的

参考例句：

• a knife with a retractable blade 弹簧刀
• So, any thoughts of what you want for the retractable bed kid? 那么想为那个睡折叠床的小子做什么？ 来自电影对白

14 leashes   

n.拴猎狗的皮带( leash的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What! are the people always to be kept on leashes? 究竟是什么一直束缚着人民？ 来自互联网
• But we do need a little freedom from our leashes on occasion. 当然有时也需要不受羁绊和一点点的自由。 来自互联网

15 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

16 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

17 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

18 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

19 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

20 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。