Turkey Carving Injuries: A Hand Surgeon's Guide to Not Ruining Thanksgiving
⌚️ read time: 5 minutes
Today’s article covers one of those predictable injuries that happens with depressing regularity every November.
Picture this: The turkey's done, the family's gathered…annndddd somebody ends up in the ER with a nasty hand injury. Not exactly the holiday memory you were hoping to create.
Each year nearly 90% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. That's a lot of carving. And unfortunately, that means a high potential for injury. And they're almost always preventable.
A quick story
Just like the 4th of July, Thanksgiving is a holiday most hand surgeons would prefer not to be on call for.
In fact, I’ll never forget my first Thanksgiving on call. I was a fellow (my final year of surgical training) in Boston. Two weeks before, I had secured my ‘attending’ privileges…basically this was the first time I was licensed to operate fully independently, no other surgeons needed.
So you can imagine I was nervous.
To pass the time in the hospital, anxiously awaiting for my pager (yep, I said pager) to go off, I wandered down to the staff lounge where they were throwing on-call staff a Thanksgiving meal.
The mood was merry and the spread was impressive. At the end of the long line of buffet-style food, there was … a turkey carving station.
And there Bonnie was, the most cheerful (and chatty) staff member — absolutely slicing and dicing her way through the giant turkey. The problem was, she also felt it was her job to entertain the whole room with her stories, routinely waving her knife wildly through the air as she gesticulated for the perfect emphasis on her tale.
Needless to say, she was paying zero attention to how close her fingertips were to that fast-moving blade. But I sure noticed. In fact, I couldn’t look away. I was glued to the action, my heartbeat racing with every downstroke of the steel. At least it was just a short walk to the operating room?
Fortunately, she somehow avoided disaster. As did I.
Though it was no comfort to think of the entire city of Boston out beyond the hospital walls perhaps handling their knives with equal abandon.
So let’s go through a few tips to keep in mind this year. Unfortunately, these are lessons my patients have taught me over the years…one’s they had to learn the hard way.
A perfect storm
Here's what typically happens. The designated turkey carving expert had a few drinks while watching the football game. Later in the afternoon, the turkey finally comes out. Everyone's hungry and a bit impatient. Maybe they're using a dull knife because nobody thought to sharpen it beforehand. Add in some slippery turkey juice and poor lighting, and you've got a recipe for disaster.
The other bummer is that these injuries can be surprisingly serious.
What looks like a simple cut will often sever the tendons or nerves that sit just beneath the skin of your fingers and hands. And while nobody wants to spend Thanksgiving in the ER, waiting to see if it'll "just get better" can make things much worse.
If you need surgery, getting it done within the first week gives you the best chance at a good outcome.
Sharp knives are safer knives
Just like we discussed in my “How to Cut Avocados” article, as counterintuitive as it sounds, a sharp knife is far safer than a dull one.
Why?
Because you won't need to apply excess pressure to force it through the meat, which is usually when things go wrong. If you're having to push hard to get through the turkey, your knife isn't sharp enough.
Also. Serration is your friend. Use a back-and-forth sawing motion with a serrated knife, rather than a forceful push to keep yourself safe this November.
Keep everything dry
Your knife handle, your cutting board, your hands - everything needs to stay as dry as possible.
And this is no small task while carving a turkey.
Turkey juices are slippery (and greasy). Unfortunately, that's when accidents happen. Keep a towel on your hip or a roll of paper towels handy to wipe things down frequently as you work.
PS: Even the wiping can be a hazard! I’ve seen a few fast swipes of a blade with the towel turn into deep cuts all the way down the finger!
Light it up
Make sure you can actually see what you're doing. Good ambient party lighting IS NOT good turkey carving lighting.
Save the ambiance for the eating and the conversing. When it’s turkey carving time? Blast the bright ones.
In case it wasn’t obvious, a well-lit cutting area helps you see exactly where your knife is going. Let’s prevent those accidents before they happen.
Skip the pre-dinner cabernet
It wouldn’t be an American holiday if there weren’t a component of alcohol wrapped up in the tradition!
Just like the 4th of July, these staples of Thanksgiving (turkey and booze) are perilous when mixed. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but … maybe don't let Uncle Jerry carve the turkey after he's on his third beer?
One tradition you don’t want to add to your family lore is a visit to my operating room each November.
When you need help
If you do cut yourself, here's what you need to know. Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth. If it's still bleeding after 15 minutes of continuous pressure, that's your cue to head to the ER. Same goes if you can't clean it properly, aren't sure about your last tetanus shot, or see a gaping wound with edges that won’t come together.
And please, please come see a hand surgeon if you notice ongoing numbness, tingling, or difficulty moving your fingers. These are signs that you might have injured more than just the skin, and the sooner we address it, the better your outcome will be.
Takeaways:
Sharp knives, dry surfaces, and good lighting are your best defenses against turkey carving injuries.
Don't delay seeking treatment if you get cut - what looks minor on the surface can be serious underneath.
If you notice numbness, tingling, or difficulty moving your fingers after a cut, see a hand surgeon immediately.
These injuries don't have to ruin your holiday. With a little preparation and common sense, you can keep the drama confined to your traditional family bickering, rather than the ER.
And hey, if you found this helpful, share it with whoever's been nominated to be this year's turkey carver. They'll thank you later (and so will I).
