What is “avocado hand?”

Avocados are wholesome fruits packed with nutrients to benefit your entire body. However, when not cutting avocados properly, you may suffer from an injury known as “avocado hand.”

What is it?

Sometimes, when a person holds an avocado in the palm of their hand while slicing it, they accidentally cut themselves. Without careful measures, kitchen knife injuries can turn very dangerous quickly.

“With all the popular low-carb diets out there, more people are including avocado in their nutrition nowadays. Avocados have very low sugar and high fiber, so it’s no wonder this fruit has become very popular,” says Dr. Estella Martinez, a family medicine physician at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago.

Dr. Martinez emphasizes you shouldn’t be afraid to eat avocados just because of the injury risk. She recommends watching videos on how to properly cut an avocado, buy an avocado pitter or have another person do the slicing for you to continue enjoying the benefits of this delicious and healthy fruit.

Dr. Joshua Sherman, an emergency medicine physician at Advocate Trinity Hospital, provides suggestions for safe kitchen care.

“It’s important that we adults continually practice safe kitchen habits and correct our children when appropriate. Such practices should probably include: safe guarding sharp objects, such as knives, using an appropriate cutting board, keeping our hands/fingers opposite the direction of the knife’s cutting surface, not cutting things while held in our palms and using appropriately sized knives.”

“If you do become a victim of ‘avocado hand,’ seek medical treatment for any injuries that you perceive to be deep, for any difficult-to-control bleeding, difficulty moving the hand/fingers, persistent numbness or any other concerns,” Dr. Sherman adds. “We’re here to help.”

Here are five tips when handling kitchen knives to help prevent avocado hand and other injuries: