Avoiding an Avocado Slip Up on Cinco de Mayo

Avocados have become one of the spring and summer’s most coveted condiments, side dishes, salad and sandwich toppers. But the avocado’s delicious taste is, in some cases, getting overshadowed by an injury that has resulted in many ER visits. In fact, there have been so many doctor visits that the injury has been dubbed “avocado hand.”

Avocado hand occurs when someone uses a knife to remove the avocado seed, and the tip of the knife slips off the seed and into the person’s hand. While many injuries are minor flesh wounds, the more serious can result in tendon and nerve damage or worse.

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, Athletico Physical Therapy’s occupational therapists are making avocado-enthusiasts aware of this common injury. A few of their top tips for avoiding avocado hand include:

• Ignore the urge to reach for a sharp knife: a butter knife or plastic knife will easily cut a ripe avocado, allowing you to complete the job and eliminate the risk.
• Your hand is not a cutting board: should you use a sharp knife, make the most of your cutting board. Avocado hand injuries often occur when someone holds the avocado in one hand while pointing a knife down on the seed with the other, rather than placing the fruit on the cutting board.
• There’s a gadget for that: it should come as no surprise that there are several new gadgets that allow you to slice and pit avocados quickly and safely.

When preparing food, the Athletico team always recommends that you take your time and take the proper precautions to minimize the risk of injury, especially when handling knives. Check out the Athletico blog for more tips on how avoid avocado hand, including a short video demonstration! If you'd like to learn more or schedule a free in-clinic or virtual free assessment, visit Athletico.com.