Injured Toes

 

Toenails are not just there to polish with pretty colors, they are there to protect the tips of your toes and the bones underneath. Stubbing your toe or dropping something on them can cause significant damage.  If you injure your toe and experience pain beneath the nail, it’s because the nail did not provide enough protection. The bones in your toes may be injured, so it is best to seek a medical opinion to see if there are any breaks or fractures.

When injuring a toe, it is common for blood to pool beneath the surface of the nail, which can be painful. The best thing to do is to see a physician who can help to alleviate the pressure. Do not attempt to do this on your own, as the risk for infection is very high.

Sometimes when the injury is substantial enough, your toenail will fall off. This is a natural process. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. Your body sheds the old damaged nail in order to produce a new healthy one. Unless there is serious damage to the nail bed, your nail will grow back over time.

If your injured toe needs attention, please come to our office to see Dr. Vittori.

 

Image by Charlie Schickr. Stub Toe Lane. (2009). Flickr.