Feet problems associated to nail issues

Most common nail problems are:

Fungus infection

There are many kind of fungus. This can appear due to bad personal hygiene or bad immunological defense of the person. It is likely to appear in wet enviroments or when going barefoot. Nail fungus can develop in skin fungus, like tinea pedis. It usually appears in the interdigital space, between the 4 and 5 toe. They smell bad and itch.

Nail treatment can be:

• Oral antifungal drugs (Most effective)
• Laser therapy
• Topical antifungal drugs

Advices:

• Wear cotton shocks
• Wear flip flops in public pools and showers
• Dry the foot after the shower (especially between the toes)
• Visit the podiatrist

Ingrowing nails

They grow due to a bad cut in the nail, not straight, or a traumatism. This traumatism can be a hit or an excess of pressure, caused by shoes worn too tight. This injury is painful and uncomfortable.

They can develop a injury in the skin close to the nail. If this is not heal in a proper way, it will develop a infection. In extreme cases the bacteria goes to the nail matrix, grow nail tissue, and leave it affected.

Ingrowing nail is so painful that people change the way they walk, risking to develop injuries affecting different areas of the body.

Ingrowing nail treatment:

• Remove the part of the nail causing the wound
• Antibiotic cream (in case of infection)
• Proper kind of shoes

Advices:

• Correct nail cut (straight)
• Correct healing (to avoid the infection)
• Visit a podiatrist

Blister under the nail

Some times an excess of pressure or a repeated traumatism (walk/run with tight shoes) can develop a blister under the nail. This blister can be made of blood. If we dont get this blood out of the nail space, the blood can dry and pull apart the nail from the toe. This injury is painful.

Blister treatment:

• Remove the blister blood

Advices:

• Make little holes in the nail to allow the blood get out.
• If the blood is dry, you have to be careful beacuse the nail gets hooked easily with the shock.
• Visit the podiatrist

Ulcer

This sore appears due to an injury that is not healing good and lasts for a long period. This wound goes deeper the longer it is there. This kind of injury is common among diabetic people beacuse they don’t have the proper healing condition.

Ulcers can be developed from a little cut in the skin, a blister or a ingrowing nail. That is why we have to treat it quickly.

Ulcer treatment:

• Visit a podiatrist, doctor or nurse.

Advices:

• Continuous monitoring of your feet
• Correct healing

 

 

Enrique Simal Aguado