Traumatic nails

They are very frequent pathologies in our practice. It preferentially affects the nails of the first toes.

Traumatic toenails can be caused by:

1.- Repeated microtrauma

• Occur without the patient noticing

• They can cause helomas (calluses) or bruises under the nail that usually lead to a very painful pathology.

Subungual heloma and subungual hematoma

• Most frequent causes:

Dorsiflexion of the first finger: This hits against the buttress of the shoe during ambulation.

Sudden braking: It is frequent in the practice of sports such as paddle tennis, tennis, etc.

Go down very steep slopes: The foot slides toward the front of the shoe, often injuring one or more toes.

Hyperhidrosis (sweating): The humidity causes the foot to move uncontrollably inside the sports shoe, damaging the nails and causing the appearance of blisters.

In sports practiced in the rain: the same thing happens to patients affected by hyperhidrosis.

2.-Direct trauma

• They are caused by a direct and abrupt blow to one or more fingers

• Most frequent causes:

  Fall of an object on the nail

  Sports practices: Stomping on the feet is frequent, leading to detachment of the affected nails (football, rugby...). This pathology is also found in those who practice climbing (with cat's foot shoes).

  

  Jobs where weights are handled: Workers are required to wear protective shoes with a metal toe cap.

  Trauma on the rocks of the sea: Hitting a rock is another cause that we also see frequently.

  Synthetic or porcelain nails: If these are long, they collide very easily and produce a partial or total detachment of the same, causing great pain.

Treatment of traumatic nails affected by micro trauma

First of all we must act against the causal agent and we also recommend well-secured and quality shoes.

Dorsiflexion of the first toe

We help ourselves with silicone orthoses through which we manage to keep the finger in its correct position.

In the most rebellious cases we resort to surgery

Hyperhidrosis

Treatment will always be to fight sweat

It is achieved with the application of master formulas, once a month, for several months.

Avoiding the use of synthetic fibers.

Application of drying powders inside footwear.

Treatment of bruises

We recommend treatment as soon as possible to drain the accumulation of subungual serohematic fluid. If we act quickly, the pain disappears immediately and we avoid the subsequent loss of the nail.

Trauma with partial or total detachment of the nail

In cases where the trauma has been very intense with partial or total removal of the nail, you should also go to the podiatrist to perform the appropriate cure.

Given the loss of the nail, it is necessary to monitor the new one to unclog the nail channels and thus we will ensure that it grows correctly.

After a few days, an X-ray should be requested to detect if there is a fracture or fissure (never on the same day or the day after the trauma, since it is not detected immediately).

In case of fissure or fracture of the phalanx, the treatment consists of making a bandage holding the affected finger with the adjacent one that acts as a splint. The bandage will be worn for three to four weeks depending on the severity of the injury.

Conclusions

As a summary, we can say that in the event of any type of trauma or pain in the toenails, you can go to our centers as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary pain and nail detachment, which will cause a lot of discomfort.

Footwear must always be of quality and fastened to the feet.

Hyperhidrosis must also be treated to avoid traumatic injuries, athlete's foot or wart infection.