If you trim your toenails too short, particularly on the sides of your big toes, you may set the stage for an ingrown toenail. Like many people, when you trim your toenails, you may taper the corners so that the nail curves with the shape of your toe. But this technique may encourage your toenail to grow into the skin of your toe. The sides of the nail curl down and dig into your skin. An ingrown toenail may also happen if you wear shoes that are too tight or too short.
When you first have an ingrown toenail, it may be hard, swollen and tender. Later, it may get red and infected, and feel very sore. Ingrown toenails are a common, painful condition—particularly among teenagers. Any of your toenails can become ingrown, but the problem more often affects the big toe. An ingrown nail occurs when the skin on one or both sides of a nail grows over the edges of the nail, or when the nail itself grows into the skin. Redness, pain and swelling at the corner of the nail may result and infection may soon follow. Sometimes a small amount of pus can be seen draining from the area.
Ingrown nails may develop for many reasons. Some cases are congenital—the nail is just too large for the toe. Trauma, such as stubbing the toe or having the toe stepped on, may also cause an ingrown nail. However, the most common cause is tight shoe wear or improper grooming and trimming of the nail.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment, Causes & Prevention
Ingrown toenails should be treated as soon as they are recognized. If they are recognized early (before infection sets in), home care may prevent the need for further treatment:
You may need to gently lift the edge of the ingrown toenail from its embedded position and insert some cotton or waxed dental floss between the nail and your skin. Change this packing every day.
If excessive inflammation, swelling, pain and discharge are present, the toenail is probably infected and should be treated by a physician (see left image below). You may need to take oral antibiotics and the nail may need to be partially or completely removed (see middle image below). The doctor can surgically remove a portion of the nail, a portion of the underlying nail bed, some of the adjacent soft tissues and even a part of the growth center (see right image below).
Ingrown Toenail Gp
Surgery is effective in eliminating the nail edge from growing inward and cutting into the fleshy folds as the toenail grows forward. Permanent removal of the nail may be advised for children with chronic, recurrent infected ingrown toenails.
If you are in a lot of pain and/or the infection keeps coming back, your doctor may remove part of your ingrown toenail (partial nail avulsion). Your toe is injected with an anesthetic and your doctor uses scissors to cut away the ingrown part of the toenail, taking care not to disturb the nail bed. An exposed nail bed may be very painful. Removing your whole ingrown toenail (complete nail plate avulsion) increases the likelihood your toenail will come back deformed. It may take 3-4 months for your nail to regrow.
Unless the problem is congenital, the best way to prevent ingrown toenails is to protect the feet from trauma and to wear shoes and hosiery (socks) with adequate room for the toes. Nails should be cut straight across with a clean, sharp nail trimmer without tapering or rounding the corners. Trim the nails no shorter than the edge of the toe. Keep the feet clean and dry at all times.
Ingrown Nails: What Causes Them And The Treatment Options
AAOS does not endorse any treatments, procedures, products, or physicians referenced herein. This information is provided as an educational service and is not intended to serve as medical advice. Anyone seeking specific orthopaedic advice or assistance should consult his or her orthopaedic surgeon, or locate one in your area through the AAOS Find an Orthopaedist program on this website.An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the nail grows into the skin around the nail. It can become painful and sometimes become infected.
Ingrown toenails become more common in older people as the nails get thicker with age. They are more likely to become infected in people who have diabetes or circulation problems.
If you have diabetes, nerve damage in your leg or foot, poor blood circulation to your foot or an infection around the nail, see your doctor or podiatrist (a trained therapist who diagnoses and treats foot conditions) immediately.
Home Remedies: Complications Of Ingrown Toenails
An infected toenail may be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor or podiatrist may need to drain the pus. In severe cases, part or all of nail may need to be removed.
Ingrown toenail (nail pain) experience | myVMC Lydia shares her story of having an ingrown toenail, and how her toenail pain was relieved with a little treatment from her doctor. Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website Podiatrist: parents & kids guide | Raising Children Network Your child might see a podiatrist for ingrown toenails, warts, odd-shaped toenails, curly toes and foot pain. Read more about podiatrists. Read more on raisingchildren.net.au website Toenail infection & fingernail infection | Raising Children Network If your child has a toenail infection or fingernail infection, the finger or toe might be red and swollen, and there might be pus. Take your child to a GP. Read more on raisingchildren.net.au website Nails - fingernail and toenail problems - Better Health Channel Our fingernails grow about three times faster than our toenails. Read more on Better Health Channel website Feet: checklist for foot health - MyDr.com.au Foot problems such as smelly feet, athlete's foot, plantar warts, corns and infected toenails can all be alleviated through good foot care. Use this checklist of quick questions to check the health of your feet. Read more on myDr website Foot health and ageing - MyDr.com.au The condition of our feet often provides early indications of conditions such as diabetes, arthritis or circulatory disease. For this reason, the human foot is sometimes called the mirror of health. Read more on myDr website Podiatry Podiatry is the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the feet and lower limbs. Read more on WA Health website Feet - problems and treatments - Better Health Channel Correctly fitted shoes help you avoid foot and leg pain or injury. Read more on Better Health Channel website Your Rehabilitation Team A wide variety of medical and allied health care providers work in rehabilitation centres Read more on Limbs 4 Life website Children's feet and shoes - Better Health Channel A child learning to walk receives important sensory information from the soles of their feet, and shoes can make walking more difficult. Read more on Better Health Channel website
Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners and to Elders both past and present.The medical professionals at Horizon Foot & Ankle Institute can help with any of your foot-related health issues, including trouble with your toenails. Your toes are vital to walking, running, and jumping, and pain caused by an ingrown nail can interfere with all those activities and more. You deserve to live without foot pain, no matter the cause, which is why our St. Louis, MO, clinic takes this matter seriously.
Ingrown Toenails: Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
The first sign of trouble is usually pain and swelling. Fluid may build up in your toe, putting pressure on the skin and nail. When you examine your toe, the affected area may be inflamed and tender to the touch.
Ingrown toenails describe when the toenail grows into the skin. While this can happen on any toe, it occurs most often on the big toe. As for what causes the nail to grow incorrectly, there are a few factors:
Some people have a genetic predisposition for ingrown nails and may experience them repeatedly despite their best efforts. Others may have especially curved toenails that are more likely to grow into the nearby skin.
When Does An Ingrown Toenail Require Medical Treatment?: John A. Scheffel, Dpm: Podiatry
Individuals with less curved nails can accidentally encourage irregular growth by trimming their nails with angled sides rather than straight across. Failure to keep your feet clean can also lead to ingrown nails.
Finally, injuries, activities, or footwear that put pressure on your toenail can encourage it to grow into the skin. In many cases, addressing these issues is enough to prevent future problems.
When you arrive at our St. Louis, MO, location, the podiatrist's first step will be an examination and formal diagnosis. It's essential that we understand the severity of your condition to determine the best course of action.
Ingrown Toenail Pain Treatment
If your toenails are just ingrown, there are plenty of non-invasive options. However, if they've become infected or if you're at a higher risk of complications, we may need to consider more drastic steps.
A nail disorder or genetic predisposition for ingrown toenails may prompt surgery to remove the nail. In most cases, only part of the nail is removed to decrease the risk of infection in the nail bed.
Ingrown toenail removal may also be an option if
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