According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, cases of broken bones in seniors associated with walking a dog on a leash are on the rise—in part, ironically, because more seniors are walking dogs in pursuit of those documented health benefits, AAHA NEWStat highlighted.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that the number of patients 65 years or older who showed up at US emergency rooms each year with bone fractures associated with walking dogs on a leash more than doubled between 2004 and 2017. Almost 80% of the patients were women, whose bones in general are less dense than men’s. Almost one in five patients sustained hip fractures, although roughly half of the injuries involved the upper extremities: fractures of the wrist, upper arm, finger, and shoulder were the most common in that category.

Of those patients who visited an emergency room, 29% required hospital admission.

Study: More cases of broken bones in seniors associated with walking a dog