It happens every year at the holidays: The UCSD Medical Center Emergency Room pages the surgeon on call for the UCSD Hand Surgery Service to examine a hand injured by an errant knife while carving a turkey, cutting open pumpkins or other hard squash, or chopping all the food ingredients that goes into holiday meals.
But, says Reid Abrams, M.D., Chief of the Hand Surgery Service, a little caution and a few common sense rules can prevent a painful injury, surgery, and lengthy treatment.
Abrams offers up the following tips for a safe and pain-free holiday season: