Anyone else get ingrowing toenails? (yuk)

[emmarocky]

having never suffered with these little blighters before I began c25k I now have a pretty formidable one which leaves a nice pool of blood in my trainer every time I go for a run. Pretty sure it's not my trainers as they feel fine and I had them correctly fitted after running on a treadmill so they could see which were best. Anyone have any tips on how to sort it out or what will happen if I take it for a trip to the Dr's ? I am a bit worried they will yank it off and put a stop to my running for a while I can't bear to have that happen as I am so close to a sub 25 5k. Em

[Beek Graduate]

Try going to a chiropodist who can advise you and treat the problem. Sounds awfully painful. Whatever you do please do not ignore it. Feet have many bacteria etc around them and must be taken care of. If you ignore it you may end up with something really unpleasant, and which will take longer to heal.

[MrsMozzer Graduate]

I don't think they'll yank it off just yet unless it's really bad

They'll usually try to soften the nail and cut it out so that it's not digging in but you may want to look at your shoes to make sure that there's no pressure on the toebox to cause the problem or worsen it. I currently have a problem with a thickening nail on my right big toe which is driving me bananas so it looks as if I'll be off to the chiropodists myself shortly.

[emmarocky Graduate]

Thanks both a trip to the chiropodist sounds like a plan. Thinking about maybe my trainers are a bit tight as they definable squeeze my toes more then my everyday ones although maybe this is normal for running shoes :/

[Twilight1 Graduate in reply to emmarocky]

My running shoes are looser then my normal ones around the toe don't think they are supposed to be tight x

[MrsMozzer Graduate in reply to emmarocky]

Your running shoes should give your feet - especially the toes - room to spread out. If they're tight, they're the wrong size. You perhaps need to visit a specialist running shop and wear proper running socks so that they can help you gauge whether the fit is right as well as finding shoes that suit your natural running gait.

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Right, this will sound mad but it's something my husband told me and I have tried it successfully too. The normal problem is that the nail is cut too short and cuts into the toe at the side. If you pack the nail underneath the sharp edge with the tiniest bit of tissue or cotton wool to cushion the toe, it provides sufficient protection until the nail grows out. May just help, but do beware of infection.

[ned63 Graduate]

i have had trouble with ingrowing toe nails i had to have mine removed .Then they put some type of acid where the nail grows from stops nails growing back not very nice at the time but never had any more pain .Sorry to say this but it hurts a bit afterwards takes a few weeks to heal . glad i had it done now both big toes now nail free pain free .(THEY DO NUMB IT FIRST)

[secretlemon Graduate in reply to ned63]

If it's not bad they'll just cut out the nail that's digging in. My sister and I both had the same problem! Unlucky for her she just kept leaving it so it was too bad to treat without an operation. Either way it's still not pleasant.

[Triplet44]

When cutting your toe nails cut a 'V' shape in the centre of the nail and try to cut the nail as straight as possible rather than rounded to the shape of the toe, eventually you won't get ingrowing toe nails.

[Rignold in reply to Triplet44]

This is not true I'm afraid.

[secretlemon Graduate]

I used to get it really bad it just kept reoccurring. The doctor might give you advice on infection but you're better off going to a chiropodist. Push a bit of cotton wool underneath the nail where there's pressure, I don't get them anymore because I kept doing this!