I generally suffer some toenail trauma after running a marathon. Ironman Zurich was no different, and the nail on my right big toe was going to require something more than just waiting until it turned black and fell off. Out with the tools for a bit of DIY!
tools for the job
the painful nail - note the swollen bottom left indicating not all is well
loosening under the nail
loosening under the cuticle
already coming away nicely
a fair bit of nail-bed visible
out with the pliers (cue Pulp Fiction quotes where Marsellus Wallace is in the pawn shop basement)
left side of the nail has popped out nicely
right side will require a little more work
rather stubborn
a bit more loosening around the edge
more pulling
almost there but still hanging in
quite a bit more pulling and prodding
Success 8)
Just need some phenol to stop it growing back again - might employ the services of a medical practitioner for that bit
Might also be worth sticking a bit of iodine on it too before it becomes horrible infected!
I’ve been planning on having several toenails removed permanently for a while now. When my weekly mileage increases above a certain point and after a marathon I always have toenail trauma - previously I’ve just waited for them to turn black and fall off of their own accord, but this time was more severe. I had given the nail such a pounding that it was pretty much fully detached at the root and was inflamed and painful. It is less painful today than it was before I ripped it out.
For a permanent effect after removing the nail you cauterise the nailbed with phenol, a very strong alacali which stops it regrowing, which I’ll have done in the next day or so at a hospital.
In terms of timing, I have a marathon in 3 weeks time, and then the Vegas 70.3 World Champs 2 weeks later, so I had a pretty limited window of opportunity if I was going to get this sorted now. I’ll probably have the other 3 problematic nails done towards the start of next year.
Unfortunately I was lacking a Lamborghini, and a friend!
On the shoe front, maybe there is a point. I have 2 pairs of Nike Free 3.0, which I really like. My pair for training is half a size bigger for wearing with nice padded socks, my race pair is for very thin socks or barefoot. Both pairs fit great around the foot with their respective socks, but aren’t particularly generous around the toes. Maybe I need to investigate a few more brands.
I’ve removed a lot of toenails over the years, usually with a nerve block! I might suggest you see your physician or a podiatrist. You have a fungal infection in both the great toe and the second toe.
I’m sure you are all desperate for an update.
Just been to see a podiatric surgeon, he confirmed that I’ve done a very neat job of the nail removal. Booked in to have the remains cauterised on Thursday to prevent any new nail growing back.
Sorted
Cheers, Rich
Nice work. I’ve been doing this exactly the same way (leatherman FTW) for years and it totally grosses my wife out. She’s a nurse practitioner so that’s saying something. Stubborn toenails keep growing back…
This all looks hauntingly familiar. I had to take almost a year off from running and upon my return to training I lost both big toenails and one other due to the trauma of running again. In all my years of running I never had the big toenail go bye bye but there is a first time for everything.
I’m sure you are all desperate for an update.
Just been to see a podiatric surgeon, he confirmed that I’ve done a very neat job of the nail removal. Booked in to have the remains cauterised on Thursday to prevent any new nail growing back.
Sorted
Cheers, Rich
As the other poster noted, it looks like you have a fungal infection that is probably causing you at least part of the trouble with your toenails. Take care of that first, then get some properly fitting shoes (and trim the toenails so they don’t bash the inside of your shoes) and THEN think about maybe taking permanent action on your toenails. They’re there for a reason, you know. Does your podiatrist agree that cauterization is the proper remedial procedure here?
For what it’s worth I’ve had great success using Jamieson’s tea tree oil on issues that appeared to be more than ordinary skin irritation, including a persistent defect in the way my thumb nail was growing. It worked fast, too. Just applied it twice a day to the affected area, and the nail started growing normally again within a week.
