UDC biomedical engineering researchers are studying dog-walking injuries

It started with a newly adopted dog – and its owner’s back pain. And now, students at the University of the District of Columbia are conducting a study on dog-walking injuries.

The dog’s owner, Alexander Peebles, is an expert on human movement biomechanics, and an assistant professor at UDC’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Peebles tells Forest Hills Connection that UDC’s Human Movement Biomechanics Lab, part of the university’s Center for Biomechanical and Rehabilitation Engineering, started developing the research question and the technology for conducting the study in fall 2023. Just prior to that, Peebles said, he had adopted a young dog with a “really bad habit” of pulling at the leash during walks.

“His pulling aggravated my low back pain,” Peebles wrote in an email, “and made me concerned that he could cause my parents to fall if they took him for a walk while we were out of town.”

UDC biomedical engineering students at work on a separate research study focused on injury prevention in athletics. (all photos courtesy of Alexander Peebles)

Prior studies have shown that many people sustain serious injuries while walking their dog. However, Peebles says there’s been very little work on predicting and preventing these injuries. That’s where the lab plans to focus its research.

This study, now enrolling participants, is to be the first in a series. Study participants are asked to walk their dogs as they normally do, except with custom wireless devices attached to the lease and strapped to the human.

The study’s custom-built measuring equipment.

“We worked to develop a system to simultaneously measure the amount of force… and the walking patterns of the human, two metrics which we believe would capture how safe or at risk someone is for getting hurt while walking their dog,” wrote Peebles.

So far, the study has put seven dog owners through their paces. Recruiting will continue until 30 people have signed on. If you’re interested, contact Professor Peebles at [email protected].