Hello, I'm new to this message board and I'm wondering if I can get some advise.
About a month ago I was walking vigorously and it turned out my two big toe nails were rubbing against the tip of my tennis shoes. The result was that the same night the area underneath the nails felt very painful and by the next day the nails were discolored to a red/purple. For the next week or so, the two toes continued to feel painful and if pressure was applied they would hurt more.
About a month has passed and the toes are no longer painful but my two toe nails are permanently discolored -- they are purple. I'm wondering if the toe nails will eventually fall off and my main concern is will new nails grow in their place? Please advise.
Hello, I'm new to this message board and I'm wondering if I can get some advise.
About a month ago I was walking vigorously and it turned out my two big toe nails were rubbing against the tip of my tennis shoes. The result was that the same night the area underneath the nails felt very painful and by the next day the nails were discolored to a red/purple. For the next week or so, the two toes continued to feel painful and if pressure was applied they would hurt more.
About a month has passed and the toes are no longer painful but my two toe nails are permanently discolored -- they are purple. I'm wondering if the toe nails will eventually fall off and my main concern is will new nails grow in their place? Please advise.
Thank you in advance.
You gave yourself a hematoma on your toenails. This is simply blood from the nail bed that is trapped between the nail bed and the nail plate. The discoloration will grow forward with the new emerging nail plate. Depending on the extent of the trauma, the damaged portion may separate from the nail bed, but since the matrix continues to produce new cells that push the older cells forward, it will grow back in 'normal'. Toenails grow much slower than fingernails, so you must be patient.
I saw this on Oprah one day when Shaun (Puffy) Combs was on her show before or after (I can't remember which) doing a run for charity. One of the other runners said that it was a common thing among runners for their toe and toenails to be injured this way. They also said that with the repeated injury the nail would eventually cease to grow. I don't know if that is true or not but it was what I understood from the show.
I saw this on Oprah one day when Shaun (Puffy) Combs was on her show before or after (I can't remember which) doing a run for charity. One of the other runners said that it was a common thing among runners for their toe and toenails to be injured this way. They also said that with the repeated injury the nail would eventually cease to grow. I don't know if that is true or not but it was what I understood from the show.
They will only cease to grow if the matirix of the nail is completely removed. the nail plate will grow in disfigured if the matrix is severely damaged. the nail plate cells are 'born' in the matrix; the leading edge of the matrix can be seen as the white half-moon (Lunula) at the base of the nail plate. The matrix of the toenails is thicker and shorter than the matrix of the fingernails. This is why our toenails are thicker, because there are more layers to the matrix so it can produce more layers of cells.
If you wear proper fitting shoes that cushion the toenails, cushioned socks, and run in a proer fashion (that is 'heals' to the ground first), then you can prevent the majority of this type of injury. Be sure there is plentyoof room in the toe of the shoe to allow for your feet to swell due to the heat of running and sweat.
I was wondering if it would be possible to cover the toe once the nail is gone. I would be self-conscious walking in sandals exposing a big toe with no nail. Do you think wrapping the toe in bandaid would be okay, or would it stunt the nail growth?
I was wondering if it would be possible to cover the toe once the nail is gone. I would be self-conscious walking in sandals exposing a big toe with no nail. Do you think wrapping the toe in bandaid would be okay, or would it stunt the nail growth?
Thanks in advance.
DO NOT put a band aid on your toenail! Bandaids are notorious for collecting moisture; since your feet are more 'wet' than any other part of your body, covering the toenail with a bandaid can allow a fungal or bacterial spore to enter the site and set up housekeeping - turning one problem into another.
The nail may only "come off" if the trauma was severe enough to effect the matrix, or cause separation between the nail bed and the nail plate. If it does separate, it will only separate in the portion that was damaged the worst. I wouldn't cover it with anything if you want to save the nail - not even nail polish!
Discolored Toe Nails 
