When your shoes do not fit properly, they can cause damage to the toenails. The trauma created when the toenail is jammed against the front of the shoe causes the tissue of the nail bed to bleed and pool under the nail. This bleeding is what causes the toenail to look black and discolored.
Pain in the toenail due to shoes can occur from wearing ill-fitting shoes that are too tight on your toes. Whatever the underlying reason is, pain in the toenail can be a symptom of issues such as Ingrown Toenail and Fungal Infections. Other causes are Paronychia and Bunions.
At the end of a long walk or run, you may notice that a toenail has turned black, blue, or dark red and is getting painful. This change of colour and pain is due to bleeding under your nail, which is also known as a “subungual hematoma”.
Friction, sweat, and a tight fit can all lead to your nails curving and growing inwards. This painful ailment, if left untreated, can lead to loss of your toenails and painful infections.
Using ill-fitted or very tight shoes can cause the nail thickening. Repeated injuries to your toenails can damage the cuticles and can help the fungus invade the affected area and spread infection. Dropping heavy objects on your toenail can also contribute to the condition.
As we all know, if you wear a shoe that is too tight it will hurt your feet and lead to foot ailments, such as blisters, bunions and calluses. But wearing a shoe that is too big will cause us to walk in an unnatural and dysfunctional way. This can lead to serious foot problems.
Ingrown toenails are a common condition in which the corner or side of a toenail grows into the soft flesh. The result is pain, inflamed skin, swelling and, sometimes, an infection. Ingrown toenails usually affect the big toe. Often you can take care of ingrown toenails on your own.
There are many habits and conditions that can make your toenails hurt. For example, wearing shoes that are too tight or cutting your toenails too short can make your toenails hurt for a few days. Toenails may also hurt because of more serious conditions like infections.
Wearing tight or narrow shoes can press the first and second toes against each other, often causing inflammation and abnormal pressure on the toe nail. This can lead to an ingrown toenail. Wearing shoes with a wide toe box as well as soaking your feet in warm Epsom salt water can help reduce pain.
As a rule of thumb (or toe), you should have about 3/8″ to 1/2″ of room from the tip of your longest toe to the end of the shoe. Your big toe is not automatically your longest toe. Pick the shoes that match your foot shape.
Previous research has shown that tight and ill-fitting shoes can be a cause for ingrown toenails, but did you know that even the tight socks can be a culprit? The reason is the pressure from those socks, especially on the big toes. Early signs of an ingrown toenail include: Pain when pressure is applied to the toe.
Sesamoiditis is pain that occurs underneath your big toe joint. The term is a general description for any irritation of the sesamoid bones, which are tiny bones within the tendons that run to the big toe. Every time you push off against the toe the sesamoids are involved.
What to Expect: With treatment, the pus should be gone in 48 hours. Pain should be gone in 1 week. Area should be healed up in 2 weeks.
What causes big toe pain? Big toe pain often results from injury or minor underlying medical conditions. Arthritis, fractures, and gout may all cause pain in all parts of the big toe. Most cases of big toe pain are easily treatable with over-the-counter (OTC) remedies.
Ingrown toenails — An ingrown toenail is one of the most common and painful toenail problems seen by our foot doctors. It occurs when the side of the nail presses and cuts into the skin, causing pain, swelling, irritation, redness, and even a bacterial and fungal infection around the toe area.
An ingrown toenail can cause throbbing pain in your toe and it may not be immediately obvious that an ingrown nail is the cause of the pain.
Shoes that are on the tighter side are likely to rub, and since this friction can cause blisters, it's best to have a bit of wiggle room. The ball of your foot should fit comfortably in the widest part of the shoe, and at the heel make sure that you have some room for slight heel slippage.
Insoles are your new best friend
Although often intended to help with posture problems and other discomfort, insoles are also useful to make shoes smaller by taking up extra space in footwear that's a tad on the big side. Full insoles are a fantastic solution if your shoes are too big across the length of your foot.
A half-size represents a 1/8” difference. It may not seem significant but is enough to distinguish between comfort and discomfort. Because there is no standardisation for shoe sizing, a half size difference will also depend on the brand of shoe. With some makes, a half size will be more significant than others.
Once your toenail grows thick, it will always be thick, this is a permanent change. There are only two main options when we have a thickened toenail: Conservative treatment where the foot specialist will debride (file) your toenails to their normal flat level.
The change in thickness is permanent, but there are still ways you can take care of your nails and prevent other nails from getting too thick.