Many people complain that their legs hurt.
The most common complaint patients bring to a medical facility is pain in the thumbnail.
Before taking pills or using other treatment methods, it is necessary to find out the cause of the condition.
There are several causes of pain.
Pain due to arthrosis . Most people often confuse arthrosis and gout, but from a clinical point of view, these are different diseases. The only thing they have in common is that their big toe hurts.
Arthrosis is a disease that mainly occurs in females. The thing is that women try to keep up with fashion and wear uncomfortable shoes, which as a result lead to foot deformation. Inflammation occurs in the joints of the lower foot. If treatment is not started, the feet will begin to swell and gradually increase in size. When trying to put on shoes, severe discomfort will occur. After some time, the inflammatory process will cover all fingers.
Gout pain . Unlike the previous disease, gout develops for completely different reasons - metabolic disorders in the body. The body stops excreting uric acid salts, instead they are deposited. The first symptom of gout is inflammation of the joints in the lower extremities, but this is also accompanied by severe pain in the lower back.
The first and main sign of gout is pain in the big toe. It begins unexpectedly and abruptly, and intensifies at night. During the period of exacerbation of the disease, the body temperature rises, the big toe and the area around it turn red.
Morton's neuroma . The clinical picture is associated with changes in the fibrous tissue of the foot. The disease most often affects women aged 35 years and older. Moreover, the pathology is rarely localized on both legs at once. In rare cases, the disease affects all fingers at once.
Diabetes . The disease is so complex that it can affect almost all organs, blood vessels and nerve endings. Pain in the legs most often occurs when overloading or walking for a long time. In the evening and morning, my big toes hurt.
Ingrown nail . This is another consequence of mechanical action. Wearing tight shoes, injuring a finger, improperly trimming a nail - all this can lead to the very edge of the nail growing into the soft tissue. Treatment involves surgery.
What should you do if your big toenail starts to hurt? Examine it carefully, and if you find bruises or damage, visit a surgeon. If there are no external signs, then make an appointment with a therapist.
The main treatment should be aimed at eliminating unpleasant symptoms, so it will directly depend on the diagnosis.
If the cause of pain is injury, then treatment should be aimed at eliminating it. For fractures or dislocations, a fixation device is applied. For bruises, local remedies are used, for example, Heparin ointment, Finalgon, Troxevasin. You can make iodine grids. If the pain is very severe, take painkillers - Pentalgin or Nurofen.
With a disease such as diabetes, you need to be under constant medical supervision. Treatment measures will primarily include a diet with a strict restriction of carbohydrate foods.
In most cases, ingrown toenails are removed surgically. Only a surgeon can perform the operation.
In case of gout, a special role is played by diet, which is aimed at reducing the level of uric acid in the body. The diet includes fruits, vegetables, baked goods, dairy products, and cereals. You should not eat foods such as beans, fried fish, red meat, or highly salted foods.
For some time you need to give up strong tea and coffee, and completely eliminate alcohol. During the period when the disease exacerbates, the patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs - Nise, Diclofenac.
For a disease such as arthritis, chondroprotectors are prescribed, as well as drugs that restore and protect joint tissue.
Just as with arthritis, the patient is prescribed chondroprotectors and anti-inflammatory drugs. Physiotherapy and gymnastics are useful. With proper and timely treatment, the disease will recede, and the patient will be able to live as before, without pain and discomfort.
In some cases, when the nail on the big toe is very painful, you can use not only medications and procedures, but also traditional medicine recipes. However, you need to remember that this will not replace the main treatment, but will only alleviate some symptoms and pain.
1. For bruised nails, a paste made from onions will help. Pick a fresh loaf, pass it through a meat grinder, then apply it to the nail and wrap it with a bandage on top. The procedure should be done twice a day until the pain disappears. You can apply plantain or wormwood.
2. If your nail begins to hurt due to the development of gout, then a compress made from lard can relieve the sensation. Take fresh lard, separate it from the skin, apply it to your nail and fix it.
3. For arthritis, lotions made from bay leaves or potatoes are used. Peel fresh potatoes, grate on a fine grater, and apply to the sore spot. After 30-40 minutes, remove.
4. Chamomile baths. You can get rid of pain in your toenails with baths of various anti-inflammatory herbs. In first place is pharmaceutical chamomile. To prepare a bath, pour two liters of boiling water into a container and add six tablespoons of chamomile to it. The chamomile should infuse for 60 minutes, then you need to steam your feet in the resulting solution for twenty minutes. After taking a bath, significant relief will come.
5. Plantain. Steam the sore finger, then wrap it in crushed plantain leaves, place a regular leaf on top and secure with a bandage. Then put on warm socks. Under the influence of plantain, the pain will subside and the inflammation will subside.
6. Aloe. The plant has good anti-inflammatory properties and also prevents the development of further inflammation. Tear off the bottom layer of the agave, cut it lengthwise, then wrap your finger so that the fleshy layer is on the nail, secure with a bandage. Repeat the procedure twice a day. After a few days, the pain will subside and the inflammatory process will pass.
Feet need to be given enough attention, especially nails. Unfortunately, not everyone follows even the basic rules of caring for them, and as a result, all of the above diseases occur.
In order to preserve the beauty of your nails and prevent pain from occurring, you must follow the following rules:
1. Your nails should always be dry. Fungal infections can develop as a result of moisture.
2. The cuticle and nail layer need to be moisturized every day; lotions or balms are used for this.
3. Never cut your nails short.
4. Never self-medicate if the symptoms of the disease are unknown to you, but they continue to get worse every day. As a result of improper treatment, pathological processes may develop.
5. Drink at least one and a half liters of water a day.
6. Never remove nail polish with acetone. When using this substance, the nail plate may be damaged.
7. Wear comfortable shoes, do not abuse high heels. Shoes and boots should not restrict your feet.
Comprehensive treatment, including both medication and traditional medicine, will help get rid of unpleasant sensations. Watch the condition of your feet!
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An ingrown nail or onychocryptosis is the ingrowth of a part of the nail plate into the lateral edge of the nail fold tissue. The outer edge of the big toe is most often affected. When an ingrown nail occurs, the nail fold turns red, swells, and an inflammatory process occurs, which is accompanied by severe pain.
Not everyone notices that the nail has grown into the skin, and consult a doctor already at the stage of suppuration and unbearable pain. In half of the cases, an ingrown toenail becomes a chronic phenomenon.
The nail grows into the finger due to a number of external reasons:
and some diseases:
Signs of an ingrown toenail:
To exclude the development of complications and quickly cure an ingrown toenail, you should contact a surgeon or podiatrist (foot diseases). He will direct to:
If you suspect toenail fungus, you should contact a dermatologist for comprehensive treatment, since in this case, an ingrown toenail is only a consequence of a fungal infection, and treating the consequences, and not the disease itself, is futile.
If there are complications, the surgeon will order an x-ray of the foot to determine the presence or absence of a purulent process on the bone, as well as to exclude such pathology as osteophyte (bone growth on the finger), the symptoms of which are similar to onychocryptosis.
It is effective in the initial stage of the disease, so do not delay visiting a doctor; it can be done at home:
During treatment, observe the following rules:
This is a balm that softens the nail plate, makes it easier to trim, and relieves pain and inflammation.
Ingredients: licorice extracts, maclea, St. John's wort, palm oil and petroleum jelly.
Application: 1-2 times a day, before use, steam your feet so that the corners of the nail come out from under the nail folds, then apply the balm to the roller and the entire nail plate.
Composition: The main active ingredient of the ointment is urea (carbamide), which softens the tissue and nail, making it easier to cut off an ingrown nail.
Application: Before cutting the nail, apply the ointment for 3-4 days. Apply to a dry finger, use a special spatula to push the cream between the periungual fold and the edge of the nail, put on socks and leave for a while. After 3 days you can trim your nail.
Used only after surgery.
Ingredients: antibiotic chloramphenicol and methyluracil, which improves tissue regeneration.
Application: After the operation, a bandage with levomekol is applied until the wound is completely cleansed.
Used when an infection occurs.
Ingredients: castor oil, birch tar, xeroform powder.
Application: Apply the ointment at night under the bandage, remove it in the morning; if the nail comes out from under the roller, you can cut it off.
Ingredients: Vaseline, ichthammol.
Reduces pain, inflammation, irritation, destroys bacteria, softens the nail plate.
Application: A bandage with ichthyol ointment is applied at night, removed in the morning and the nail can be cut.
They raise the edge of the nail without causing discomfort; you can wear shoes. The braces look somewhat like dental braces. Installed on the nail only by a doctor.
Ingrown toenail removal is an operation performed under local anesthesia. If the nail becomes suppurated, most often the entire nail plate is removed. A new nail grows within 3 months. Unfortunately, after surgery, relapses of the disease occur with high frequency after 3-4 months. Therefore, relapse prevention is carried out, which consists of plastic surgery of the nail fold: removal of granulations and part of the skin along the lateral surface of the finger. The nail fold ceases to contact the nail plate.
Laser for ingrown toenails and nail plate growth cells after ingrown toenail removal. Indicated for ingrown nails at the cuticle level. A high-tech method that leads to stable remission. A laser beam burns out the germ cells and part of the ingrown nail, and at the same time removes the inflamed tissue and granulations. Laser correction is the best method for treating ingrown toenails.
The technique is gentle, there is no stitch left after the operation, and the likelihood of complications and relapse is minimal. During the operation, the ingrown part of the nail is eliminated, and the matrix and growth zone is also treated.
In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor - the pain threshold in children is very high, so independent actions can only aggravate the situation. The doctor will decide how to treat an ingrown toenail in a child after an examination.
Ingrown toenail or onychoprictosis in medicine is a disease in which the edges of the nail plate (usually on the big toes) begin to grow into the adjacent lateral parts of the nail fold. Ingrowth can occur on one or both sides of the finger. If you do not pay attention in time to the beginning ingrowth of the nail into the surrounding tissues, then after a while inflammation will begin in them until the appearance of purulent discharge.
Recently, this disease has become increasingly common in late pregnant women; in addition, many patients are diagnosed with ingrown nails on all ten toes at the same time.
At the first stage, an ingrown toenail practically does not manifest itself at all - only redness appears on the skin, in the place where the nail plate is ingrown. And if you press on this place, it will be quite painful.
At the site of the ingrowth, due to the constant pressure of the sharp edges of the nail on the roller, an inflammatory process gradually begins to develop, redness appears, and it becomes painful to move the finger - if the ingrown toenail is on the toenail, then this pain intensifies during walks.
At a later and more advanced stage, swelling develops around the nail, and then a process of purulent inflammation may occur. The nail plate thickens, and blood may leak from underneath it. In this case, soft tissues can begin to grow strongly over the nail plate, forming the so-called “wild meat”.
There may be several reasons for the development of an ingrown toenail. Among them is heredity - if a person in the family has ever had cases of ingrown nails, then there is a possibility that this disease will not bypass him either, since there is a congenital predisposition to this pathology.
Very often, the cause of ingrown toenails is uncomfortable shoes, which compress the tissues of the feet, causing the edges of the nails to constantly touch the soft tissues. This mechanical irritation causes inflammation day after day. This also includes the habit of wearing shoes with very high heels - the load on the fingers, which are also squeezed in tight shoes, causes ingrown nail plates.
Also, an ingrown nail begins due to its infection with a fungus - in this case, the nail hardens, its edges cease to be smooth and begin to curl, injuring the soft tissues surrounding it. Diseases that cause poor circulation can also cause ingrown nails.
Improper nail care can also cause ingrown nails. Very often, during a pedicure or at home, the overgrown part of the nail is completely cut off along the perimeter, while its side corners suffer the same fate. To avoid the cry later, “The nail is growing in - what should I do?”, you should not cut the nail too short - its length should approximately reach the tip of the finger. Naturally, the corners should not be cut off at all - as they grow, they can crash into the nail fold.
In addition to all of the above, ingrown nail plates can begin due to various pathologies of foot development such as flat feet and similar diseases.
To diagnose an ingrown toenail, an external examination and patient complaints are usually sufficient.
To more accurately assess the degree of nail ingrowth, a special curette is used, with which the nail plate is gradually separated from the tissues of the roller.
Since a nail can grow ingrown not only due to external influences, but also due to fungal infection of the nail plates, in this case it is necessary to conduct additional research to confirm the diagnosis. In case of a fungal disease, the ingrown toenail is removed entirely.
In aesthetic medicine clinics, ingrown toenails are treated at the initial stage by installing special staples - correctors and springs. These devices must be worn until the edges of the nail grow as desired. They are practically invisible, do not interfere with leading a normal lifestyle, and most importantly, they help straighten the nail plate.
At later stages, surgical treatment of an ingrown nail is used by removing it. Usually the operation is performed using a laser or surgery. But this type of treatment has rather unpleasant consequences in the form of long healing, pain in the postoperative period, and no guarantee that an undeformed nail will grow in the future.
In the case of a hereditary predisposition to ingrown nails, the usual removal of the ingrown nail, according to doctors, will not help, since it will grow back and no one can guarantee that it will not happen again.
There is also a procedure for radio wave treatment of ingrown nails - under local anesthesia, the patient has the ingrown part of the nail removed, then the nail growth area is treated using radio waves. This method also helps deal with wild meat. The tissues surrounding the nail are not injured at all, and the postoperative period takes little time.
On the Internet you can find a lot of tips for treating ingrown toenails at home, but all these methods will be useful only at the initial stage of development of this disease, when there is not yet severe inflammation and suppuration. During this period, you can use ointments that soften the nail, as well as baths with saline solution or potassium permanganate to relieve developed inflammation.
It is better to ignore advice on inserting into the corners of a nail that is beginning to grow in, as this can lead to aggravation of the inflammatory process.
You also need to eliminate the pressure of the nail plate on nearby tissues - you will have to give up narrow high-heeled shoes, periodically walk barefoot, and in the summer choose shoes with the most open toes.
Nails are appendages of the skin, horny formations. They have the same structure as hair, the top layer of skin.
The main cause of ingrown toenails is improperly selected shoes. The worst thing for nails are hard shoes with narrow toes, too short tight shoes. If the finger constantly experiences pressure from the side and above, this contributes to the nail growing into the skin. Another common reason is wearing closed shoes in hot weather, when humid conditions are created inside, causing the nail plate to soften and the epidermis, the top layer of skin, to swell. As a result, the nail begins to grow incorrectly.
Characteristic symptoms of an ingrown toenail:
In this case, you should immediately contact a surgeon. The following symptoms should be a reason to visit a doctor :
Appearance of an ingrown toenail:
Infected, inflamed ingrown toenail:
The main danger with an ingrown toenail is infection. It can spread to the surrounding tissues, to the foot, to the bones, leading to severe purulent complications. In the worst case, the purulent process can be complicated by gangrene.
If you experience symptoms similar to an ingrown toenail, contact your surgeon. The child should be taken to a pediatric surgeon. To diagnose the disease, no additional research is required; an external examination is sufficient. Do not self-diagnose or self-medicate, especially if you suffer from diabetes or other diseases that impair blood flow in the lower extremities.
Treating an ingrown toenail is quite a difficult task. There are a large number of methods, but none of them are ideal, relapses occur. There are three main areas of treatment for ingrown toenails :
Surgical treatment completely eliminates an ingrown toenail, but does not always guarantee a permanent cure for this condition. After the operation, the cause that led to the pathology may remain; as a result, the ingrown nail may appear again on the same or on another finger.
There are three main types of surgical treatment for ingrown toenails.:
Schmieden operation for ingrown toenails
The Schmieden operation is a fairly popular method of treating ingrown toenails, as it is characterized by a low probability of relapse (about 5-10%). But the intervention is quite traumatic, and recovery takes quite a long time after it.
How does an ingrown toenail heal after surgery?
Typically, after Schmiden surgery, healing occurs within a week. During this time, you need to limit the load on the sore leg and change the bandage daily. If an ingrown toenail is complicated by an infection, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics, ointments with healing and antibacterial components. Sutures are removed 7 days after surgery. Complete healing occurs within 1-1.5 months. During this time, you cannot visit the bathhouse or sauna; you must wear the most comfortable, spacious shoes with an open toe.
Treatment of ingrown toenails with laser is highly effective and safe, with low risks of relapse, and a fairly short recovery period. The procedure, just like conventional surgery, is performed under local anesthesia with a tourniquet applied to the finger. The laser literally evaporates “extra” tissue, while destroying pathogens in the wound and stopping bleeding.
The method is similar to correcting an ingrown toenail using a laser, but instead of laser radiation, special radio waves are used. In many clinics, a modern device for radio wave surgery, “Surgitron,” is used for this purpose. Just like laser radiation, radio waves destroy all “unnecessary” tissues, pathogens in the wound, and stop bleeding.
Treatment of ingrown toenails with plates and staples
There are special staples and plates for treating ingrown toenails. They come in different shapes and are made from different materials. But they all have approximately the same operating principle: a bracket or plate is attached to the nail, one of its ends engages the ingrown edge and brings it up.
During tamponade, capolin - a small piece of material that helps reduce pressure on the nail fold and causes the nail to grow correctly. Tamponade can be performed only in the absence of infection and severe inflammation. Hygiene procedures and nail correction are first carried out using special tools.
Capolin tamponade is usually carried out at the earliest stages of an ingrown nail, or for prophylactic purposes, with curved nail plates, to prevent their ingrowth.
Ointments, like other conservative treatment methods, are used mainly in the initial stages of an ingrown toenail or as a complement to surgical and orthopedic methods. They have different effects: some soften the nail plate and normalize its growth, others contain antibiotics and help cope with infection.
Contraindications for use : individual intolerance to the components of the gel.
Contraindications for use : individual intolerance to the components of the ointment.
How to use for ingrown toenails:
If there is a purulent cavity under the nail fold, the doctor can inject a certain amount of levomekol into it using a syringe.
Contraindications : individual intolerance to the components of the drug.
The doctor may recommend doing compresses with dimexide for 2 hours for several days. Or wash the wound with the solution during dressings.
Contraindications : the same as for dimexide gel.
There are oils that help soften ingrown toenails and have an antiseptic and regenerating effect. For example, 100% ozonated olive oil is often used. It is used during the tamponade procedure.
For ingrown toenails, various baths are used:
Even if you are going to treat an ingrown toenail at home, you should definitely go to a doctor for an examination. The surgeon will assess the presence and intensity of the infectious process.
If, despite the measures taken, symptoms increase, consult a surgeon. Don't wait for the infection to start spreading.
Traditional methods can help, but before using them you need to consult a doctor. Some of the most popular folk remedies for ingrown toenails :
To prevent ingrown toenails, follow these tips::
In young children, ingrown toenails are mainly caused by hereditary causes, wearing uncomfortable tight shoes, and improper cutting of nails. If your child experiences symptoms of an ingrown toenail, you should contact a pediatric surgeon. Treatment methods are almost the same as for adults. Surgery to remove an ingrown toenail in young children is usually performed under general anesthesia.
In the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, ingrown toenails are included in the group of “nail diseases” (L60) and are coded L60.0.
You cannot shape the edge of the nail into a semicircle or cut off its corners. This can disrupt the growth of the nail plate and lead to its ingrowth into the periungual ridges. You need to cut your nails perpendicularly (you can round them a little, but without cutting the corners), not at the root, leaving a small protruding part of the free edge of the nail plate.
If an ingrown toenail occurs during pregnancy, you should consult a doctor who will examine you, correctly assess the situation and prescribe the optimal treatment. You should not self-medicate, since not all medications and folk remedies can be used in pregnant women. You need to visit a surgeon as early as possible, since an infection that develops in the periungual fold can negatively affect both the body of the pregnant woman and the fetus.
Diabetes mellitus can lead to impaired blood circulation in small vessels, so infectious complications of an ingrown toenail are especially dangerous for diabetics. The infection can quickly spread to surrounding tissues and bones, resulting in gangrene that may require amputation.
Typically, an increase in temperature is associated with activation of the infectious process in the affected periungual fold and is accompanied by symptoms such as increased swelling, redness, and pain. Perhaps an increase in temperature and deterioration in general condition indicates that the infectious process has begun to spread to the surrounding tissues and bones of the foot. You need to contact a surgeon and start treatment.
An ingrown toenail is a problem familiar to both adults and children. Unfortunately, no one is immune from this annoying cosmetic defect, which causes a lot of inconvenience. How to prevent ingrown nails, and what to do if trouble has already happened?
The reasons why the thumbnail grows into soft tissue are commonplace, but failure to follow the basic rules leads to the development of the disease:
At the initial stage, the problem may not be noticeable. Redness appears on the outer or inner edge of the thumb, discomfort when pressed. Symptoms can be attributed to uncomfortable shoes, swollen feet in the summer, or injury.
The edge of the nail, going deep into the skin and soft tissues, injures them, so the pain gradually increases. In turn, the body, perceiving the nail as a foreign body, tries to get rid of it with the help of phagocytes. Inflammation begins, the finger breaks out, festers, increasing in size.
Wearing any shoes and walking itself cause pain, the finger becomes burgundy, crimson, or bluish. Severe inflammation threatens blood poisoning, gangrene and finger amputation.
Conventionally, there are three stages of ingrown toenails:
The neglected process leads to extensive inflammation and proliferation of soft tissue around the nail. The finger festers, bleeds, and becomes deformed. Inflammation can affect deeper layers, including bone tissue.
How to treat an ingrown toenail at home? Home treatment at the initial stage consists of maintaining foot hygiene and creating comfortable, gentle conditions for the sore toe.
This treatment is appropriate at the first stage of an ingrown nail. The sooner measures are taken, the easier and faster it will be possible to solve the problem. Consultation with a surgeon even at this stage will be appropriate and timely.
Treatment with herbs is aimed at relieving pain, inflammation, and returning the nail to its previous state.
Aloe leaves and juice have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and soothing effects.
The course of treatment depends on the severity of the process.
Baths with the addition of softening and antiseptic substances are useful:
1 tbsp. l. onion pulp, 1 tbsp. l. chopped garlic, 1 tbsp. l ghee and 1 tbsp. l. mix aloe pulp, add 1 tbsp. l. natural beeswax.
Place on low heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
Apply the slightly cooled mixture to the nail and skin in a thick layer, wrap it with cling film on top and put on a woolen sock;
In 3 weeks the medicine will be ready. It must be strained and stored in the refrigerator.
Ingrown toenails should be treated with compresses; dilute 1 ml of tincture in 0.1 liters of water. This remedy is safe and suitable for treating ingrown toenails in children.
Instead of a bandage, a fairly rigid material that injures the wound surface, you can use capolin to tamponade an ingrown nail.
If symptoms worsen, pain and inflammation intensify, you should seek medical help.
There are different ways to surgically treat an ingrown toenail. The essence is the same: relieve inflammation, promote tissue healing and prevent subsequent relapse.
A modern method that is gaining increasing popularity. Using a laser, part of the ingrown nail and the edge of the area with germ cells are removed.
Foci of inflammation are cauterized locally. If a fungal infection occurs, the spores are destroyed at the same time.
Laser correction brings the desired result and significantly minimizes the risk of recurrence of the disease. However, the tissue around the nail is damaged during treatment, and healing is long and painful.
A staple is placed on the plate of the ingrown nail, tightening and lifting the edges. The tension of the staple is adjusted as the defect is corrected.
Gradually, the nail returns to the correct direction; while the plate is being installed, the pressure of the nail on the soft tissues of the finger is minimized. Titanium thread is used to make staples.
The ingrown nail is removed under the influence of radio waves, the matrix and growth zone are processed. Removal is carried out on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia.
The stage of the disease does not matter; pathologically overgrown soft tissues are also corrected during surgery.
Such operations are quite painful, and the disease often develops again, so surgeons are gradually abandoning this method.
Under local anesthesia, the ingrown nail is removed completely or partially, lifting with a curette and tearing off; the wound is treated and bandages are applied until the nail is completely renewed.
To properly organize a medical pedicure, you need to follow several rules:
At the first signs of ingrown toenails, you need to take care of the health of your feet, reduce the load, take softening baths, and treat your fingers. In case of inflammation and suppuration, the doctor will advise treatment methods.