It won't hurt because there aren't any nerves there. You might have to reheat the paper clip a few times. But once the hole is melted all the way through, the blood will flow out, and the painful pressure should be gone. For the next few days, soak your nail in warm, soapy water for 10 minutes or so, 3 times a day.
You may be able to relieve severe, throbbing pain by draining blood from under your nail. This procedure is not necessary and is not recommended if you are not having pain.
Without drainage, you may experience intense pain or other symptoms such as feeling pressure on the nail. The hematoma may change colors from red to purple to dark brown to black. The pressure of the blood underneath the nail's surface may also cause the nail to fall off partially or completely.
Straighten a paper clip, and heat the tip in a flame until it is red-hot. Place the tip of the paper clip on the nail and let it melt through. There are no nerves in a nail, so putting a hot paper clip on a nail should not hurt.
The key is to ensure that the hematoma is not older than 48 hours. In most cases, the hematoma can be drained with a large needle without any complications. Follow up of patients is recommended to ensure that there is no infection and the hematoma has resolved.
The trapped blood will eventually be reabsorbed, and the dark mark will disappear. This can take 2–3 months for a fingernail, and up to 9 months for a toenail. If there is severe damage to the nail bed, the nail may be malformed or cracked when it grows back. Or, it may fail to regrow.
Treatment for a black fingernail
Apply ice (wrapped in a cloth) or cold therapy for 10 minutes at a time, every hour to reduce bleeding and swelling. Elevate the hand to reduce bleeding and swelling. This aids the tissue fluids to flow away from the site of injury using gravity to assist.
Seek medical attention right away for any of the following: The finger is bent and you can't straighten it. The skin is cut open and bone is exposed. The injury involves the palm or any of the joints, such as a finger or the wrist.
If blood is spontaneously draining from the hematoma, drainage of subungual hematoma is generally not required. You should not try draining your subungual hematoma at home as improper drainage may result in infections or permanent damage to the nail bed. A subungual hematoma is sometimes drained by a doctor.
Urgent surgical hematoma evacuation is required for the patient with large extradural hematoma, i.e., >30 ml or causing a focal or progressive neurological deficit. This is particularly important to prevent brain death caused by increased pressure inside the brain.
Some accidents can lift your nail away from your finger partially or completely. This is called nail bed avulsion, and it's extremely painful. This injury is typically accompanied by bleeding and swelling, and it definitely calls for immediate medical attention.
Most smashed fingers start to feel much better within three to four days. More complicated or severe cases may take a few weeks or more to fully heal.
Subungual hematomas can be drained up to 48 hours after the injury. (Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine, 7th Edition.
Subungual Hematoma (Blood Clot under the Nail).
This can be from a door crushing the finger. It can also be from a heavy object falling on the nailbed. Many are only mildly painful. Some are severely painful and throbbing.
This depends on the cause and severity of the bruise or laceration. Minor bruised toenails may often heal on their own, with the discolored part of the nail slowly growing out. In more serious cases the nail may fall off.
Get a paper clip, not a needle, and straighten it. Hold one end of the paper clip with a cloth so you don't burn your fingers, and heat the other end in a flame until it's red-hot. Now touch that hot tip to your nail, right where the blood is, to melt a hole. Don't push it, just touch it.
After the trauma, blood or other fluid builds up under your nail, resulting in pain. It may look like a bruise under your nail. Your fingernail will change color and appear purple, brown, or black. The hematoma will grow out with your nail over several months.
If you have a simple subungual hematoma — meaning a hematoma but no other bleeding or digit injury — your primary care provider or an urgent care center may be able to perform a drainage. But if you have additional injuries, you should go to the emergency room.
If a haematoma is left untreated and the pressure within the haematoma exceeds the blood pressure in the dermal and subdermal capillaries, it may result in a large area of necrosis of the overlying skin. Therefore, an urgent evacuation of the haematoma must be performed to release the tension over the skin.
Subungual hematomas should be trephinated if they are acute (less than 24 to 48 hours old), are not spontaneously draining, are associated with intact nail folds, or are painful. After 48 hours, most subungual hematomas have clotted and trephination is typically not effective.
Most bruises fade away within two weeks without treatment. More severe bruising and hematomas may last a month or longer. These steps can help you heal faster: Rest and elevate the injured area to prevent swelling and relieve pain.
A subungual hematoma is when blood gets trapped under your nail bed. It's usually caused by your nail getting crushed or hit by a heavy object. Symptoms include throbbing pain and your nail turning black and blue. This usually looks like a bruise under your nail.
There could be some discomfort during activities within the first week after toenail removal. Avoid hot tubs, swimming pools, or lakes during this 1-2 week recovery time.