Imagine going throughout your day with a thumbtack stuck in the bottom of your big toe. Every day actions like running, walking and even standing would be extremely painful. For some people, that pain is real because they suffer from an ingrown toenail.
Ingrown toenails can occur for a variety of reasons, and some ingrown toenails are much more severe than others. Some can be fixed with proper in-home care, while others may need surgery to remove the troublesome nail. Below, we’ll examine the signs, symptoms and prevention tips of an ingrown toenail.
My Big Toe Hurts
Although ingrown toenails can occur on any nail, they are most commonly associated with your great toe. Also, because the nail of your big toe is much larger than other toenails, ingrown toenails on your big toe tend to be more severe.
There are many factors that can lead to the development of an ingrown toenail, but the two most common reasons are:
- Wearing shoes that are too tight
- Cutting your toenails too low, or rounding your nail edges
Ingrown toenails can also be the result of:
- A previous toe injury
- Nail growth as a child goes through puberty
Symptoms of an Ingrown Toenail
Although pain won’t likely be as severe as described in the thumbtack example, self-diagnosis of an ingrown toenail is relatively simple. Early indicators of an ingrown toenail include:
- Redness on the side of your toe, or around the sides of the nail
- Pain when walking
- Swelling, especially around the corners of the nail
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you should take some prevention steps to address the nail before it gets worse. As the nail continues to dig into the side of your toe, you’ll begin to notice greater swelling, increased pain, and sometimes a pus-like discharge coming from the affected area. If you are already experiencing these symptoms, a surgical operation may be needed to remove the ingrown nail. It is important that a medical professional does this procedure, as improper removal can make matters worse.
Preventing an Ingrown Toenail
We may sound like a broken record when we say this, but we cannot stress how important it is to take steps to prevent ingrown toenails before they develop in order to avoid a painful situation down the road.
When you look at the two main causes of ingrown toenails, simple prevention tips seem like common sense. Always makes sure you wear proper-fitting shoes, and refrain from rounding the edges of your nails when you trim them. Proper-fitting shoes are especially important in sports, because an athlete is often forced to twist, turn, cut and jump, all of which put extra strain on your feet and toes. Soccer shoes are notoriously bad for causing ingrown toenails because of their design, which compresses the toes near the tip.
If you’re exhibiting some early signs of an ingrown toenail, don’t just ignore the problem. Soak your foot in warm water for 10 minutes at least three times a day. After soaking your foot, gently try to lift the corner of the affected nail, either with your fingernail or a sterilized object like a tweezers. If you can lift the nail high enough, try to slip a small amount of cotton underneath the nail. Change the cotton every time you soak your foot. By doing this, you’ll be encouraging the nail to grow outward, instead of into the side of your toe.
In a companion post in the future, we’ll discuss the surgical treatment options and recovery protocols associated with ingrown toenails.
Related source: AAOS
