Injuries can happen all the time in the kitchen, most of the time it is always by accident. But some of these injuries can occur in the hand and wrist, two important body parts essential when you are cooking in the kitchen. So here are the common hand and wrist injuries caused in the kitchen.
Accidently Cutting Your Hand
The most common kitchen injury is accidentally cutting yourself This can be caused in a number of different scenarios, such as not using a piece of sharp equipment properly, or not being fully focused on what you are cutting – and accidently slicing your finger open.
It may not seem a big deal at first but it’s important to keep your focus, because there could be a point in the future where you are cutting some food and because you are not paying attention, there is every chance of really hurting yourself.
In severe cases, people have cut a part of their finger off as they were not fully focused, so this further shows how responsible you have to be when you are in the kitchen cooking. As accidents can happen just like that.
If there is ever a case where it is a larger cut and the person is starting to bleed heavily, it is crucial that they are brought to the hospital. It’s important to do this because if they continue to lose blood this can lead to movement and sensation loss in the area that has lost blood.
Burns in the Working Environment
In the kitchen it can get hot from cooking food, and many pieces of equipment will increase in temperature – especially metal objects as they are a very good conductor of heat. With this in mind, it’s important to always pay attention around your work space as you will need to be fully aware of what is hot and what isn’t.
If you’re not aware of what you can and cannot touch around the kitchen this can lead to you burning yourself by accident, which may not seem like a big deal, however in some cases there are people that aren’t so lucky and end up with really bad burns that causes them a lot of pain.
Straight away, the first thing you should do if you burn yourself is run it under cold water to help ease the pain. Keep it under running water until you can’t feel the burning sensation anymore. An advantage of keeping the burn under cold water is that you will not get a blister, which can be a nuisance in your daily life as not only is it visible, but if you accidentally burst it this could cause a slight pain.
There are 4 classifications of burns, and these are based on the extent of the damage. First degree burns are usually dry but appear red on the skin, whereas second degree burns are pink or red and appear as blisters which can be quite sore. Luckily, first and second degree burns can be treated at home and you will not need to go to the hospital.
Furthermore, third degree burns are an awful condition as this means your nerve endings which sense pain have been brutally burnt off.
Finally, a fourth degree burn is the worst case as you may have visibly exposed muscle or bone and this will require medical attention immediately. This will lead to surgery and from that, skin grafts will be needed to replace damaged or missing skin.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Developed in the Kitchen
As well as cutting or burning yourself whilst you are in the kitchen, there are also other ways in which you can potentially injure yourself. For example if you put enormous pressure on your wrist then there is a good chance you may develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome over time.
With this condition, pressure on one of the main nerves in the hand leads to uncomfortable pins and needles sensations, and in more severe cases the muscle in your hand will begin to weaken making it difficult for you to use your hand.
When you’re in the kitchen and using different types of equipment it’s important that you do not overwork yourself, especially if you are handling heavy equipment as this will increase the pressure you put on your hand and wrists. The more pressure you endure, the higher the chance you could develop a condition like carpal tunnel.
Fortunately, the condition is treatable but it is best to get it seen by a doctor sooner rather than later in case it worsens. There are a few treatments you could receive for this condition, firstly, a cortisone injection can give some relief in conditions where acute inflammation is the main cause, however it often has a temporary effect and will not be beneficial for you in the long term. Also, if surgery is required then this will involve relieving the pressure on the nerve by dividing the carpal ligament and releasing the median nerve.
Slip and Trip Hazards
Health and safety is vitally important in a kitchen, whether that be in a working environment or at home. It is so easy to either slip or trip over something without even realising, due to the hazardous nature of the kitchen. So, it’s vital that you are aware of your surroundings in any kitchen and make sure the simple things have been done. For example, making sure there isn’t anything on the floor that you might trip over from will increase your chance of not falling over and hurting yourself.
Many injuries can occur when falling over, you could cause damage to your hand or wrist if you fall on it badly which will cause you a lot of pain. Furthermore, as well as tripping over an object, if the floor is wet then there will be a good chance you could slip and fall over too – further resulting in an injury.
To combat this issue it would be great to make sure there is a wet floor sign so that you know the floor is wet before you step foot into the kitchen. Simple precautions like these will help you tremendously and will give you a much better chance of not giving yourself an injury.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog! If there are any common injuries that we have missed off then get in touch today and let us know.