Improper Cutting Of Popular Fruit Could Lead To Gruesome & Painful ‘Avocado Hand’

CBS New York - September 3, 2018

In a CBS New York segment, HSS hand and upper extremity surgeon Scott W. Wolfe, MD, explained that there is a rising trend of hand injuries from improperly cutting an avocado.

"Of people who cut tendons and nerves in their hands, we usually guess that it’s an avocado injury," said Dr. Wolfe.

Not only is the injury increasingly common, Dr. Wolfe said it’s also serious. "The hand is an incredibly complex organ. There are so many tendons and so many nerves and arteries immediately below the skin," he noted.

His patient, Jim Fitzgerald, accidentally injured his finger when he attempted to remove a pit using a sharp knife.

Dr. Wolfe recommends holding the avocado on a cutting board with one hand, cutting all around the fruit at the equator then rolling it halfway over and cutting it again, thus allowing the avocado to come apart in quarters with the pit popping right out.

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