Australians’ love of avocados grows steadily each year. Consumption in 2016/17 reached just over 3.5kg per person!
This soaring popularity of Australia’s beloved Avo has seen an increase in people accidentally cutting their hands when endeavoring to remove the stone. Known as the ‘avocado hand’.
WiSE spoke with our Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Rui Niu about the ‘avocado hand’. “You can do a lot of damage to your hands if the knife slips. What looks like a benign cut in your palm could spell disaster if not managed correctly. Partial tendon lacerations may progress to full tendon rupture, foreign material breaching the tendon tunnel could cause the spreading infection that dissolves the tendons. Be careful when cutting avocados and if you do hurt yourself, seek medical attention immediately! “
A heavy price to pay for that brunch instagram shot!
First aid treatment
- Apply direct pressure until bleeding stops.
- Keep hand elevated above the heart
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible