Everyday tasks, like carrying heavy groceries (which can strain finger joints and arms), or slicing bagels (which can cause serious cuts) can pose a risk of injury, according to the American Society of Hand Therapists.

Those are just two of the five most common causes of hand injuries that are highlighted during this week's Hand Therapy Awareness and Injury Prevention Week.

"Using common sense and joint protection techniques can help to minimize potential injury or overuse of our hands and arms," according to Christine Muhleman, president of the society, which includes both occupational and physical therapists.

"Poor daily routines can add up to painful long-term conditions unless you take proper care and precautions," she said in an ASHT statement.

To avoid injury, "slow down and use your hands wisely," Stacey Doyon, president-elect of the organization stated.

Due to the fast-paced nature of society, "we do too much at once," without slowing down, she said. This multitasking may lead to various hand injuries.

For example, some people may carry as many as four or five bags in one hand while shopping. ASHT recommends that they instead carry one bag at a time in each hand. Further, Doyon, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, advises shoppers to not only use carts instead of small baskets, but to also ask for paper, rather than plastic bags, and use both arms to carry the paper bags.

Another source of common injuries, although widely underreported, are injuries to the hand from slicing bagels. Many of these injuries, referred to as "bagel hand" by some emergency departments, require surgery and a long period of hand therapy before people regain their normal hand function.

To avoid these injuries, Muhleman recommends that people never slice frozen bagels and that they use bagel slicers, if possible. When bagel slicers are not available, she recommends a two-stop process: first, holding the bagel down on the table and slicing it halfway with a serrated knife, and second, stand the bagel on end, grip the sliced end, and slice downward.

Many people are also injured while washing dishes, as they search blindly for knives and other sharp tools in soapy dishwater, according to the ASHT. What's more, some people may experience lacerations on the top of their knuckles when they put their hand inside a narrow glass with a sponge and squeeze the sponge. "The pressure of your hand may shatter the glass, causing cuts to the back of your hand," Paige E. Kurtz, ASHT vice president, said in a statement.

People can also injure their hands while reading for extended periods of time. Those who constantly pinch the pages of a book with their finger and thumb may experience strain in that area as well as stiffness. "Continuously pinching pages can aggravate the tendons and joints in the thumb and wrist," according to Doyon. Rather than pinching pages, ASHT recommends that readers rest the book on a flat or inclined surface or place one hand on the front pages and the other hand on the back of the book while reading.

Lastly, ASHT points out the dangers of paper cuts, thorn pricks or other minor wounds, if left untreated. These wounds should be thoroughly washed with warm water and soap and then treated with some type of first aid antibiotic ointment. According to Kurtz, ASHT vice president, "untreated minor wounds can flare into dangerous infections."

The good news is that specially trained individuals are available to help people who have already experienced some type of hand injury, according to Doyon.

"If you do have any type of injuries there are hand therapists out there who can help," she said.