'Notorious For Causing Hand Injuries': Doctors Warn Preparing Guacamole For Super Bowl Parties Can Be Dangerous
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Many Super Bowl parties have been planned for this weekend, even though our beloved Philadelphia Eagles won't be playing. Doctors say one of the more popular football snacks can be dangerous to prepare.
Who knew being a football fan can come with some risks? And we're not talking about just drinking and eating too much.
Guacamole is a football favorite and a top-of-the-menu item for many Super Bowl parties. However, chopping the main ingredient can be dangerous.
"Avocados are notorious for causing hand injuries," Dr. Michael Rivlin, a hand surgeon with the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, said.
Rivlin says accidents cutting avocados can cause lacerations that often involve tendons and nerves.
Doctors say there's an epidemic of hand injuries related to avocados. Since 2013, there have been 27,059 avocado-related knife injuries.
"Avocado is the fruit that always keeps us busy," Rivlin said.
Rivlin says they're also ready for other kinds of Super Bowl injuries, even though the Eagles aren't playing.
"We get the pleasure of treating not just the athletes, but some of the spectators as well," Rivlin explained.
He says many football fan injuries are related to intoxication with people falling.
"These are some of our spectators," Rivlin said. "These are Eagles fans."
One fan at a tailgate party fell from the hood of a car.
"She landed on her wrist sustaining a wrist fracture," Rivlin said. "She broke both bones."
A plate was used to surgically realign the bones.
Rivlin says when the Eagles are playing, emotions run high and with that comes other kinds of injuries.
"We had a young gentleman when the Eagles lost he punched the wall and sustained a boxer's fracture," Rivlin explained.
The most serious football-related fan injury comes from heart attacks, but this year with the Eagles missing out on the Super Bowl, doctors aren't expecting any extra patients.
There is a warning from nutritionists as football food like pizza, wings and beer are pretty unhealthy and fattening, except for the guacamole, which is nutritious.
The advice for cutting avocados is don't hold it in your hand, but a cutting board and then a spoon to scoop out the good stuff.
