This is pretty disgusting. Did a half a couple of weeks ago with shoes a size too small. Got huge blisters and my big toe nail turned dark. While washing up, bloody liquid drained out. I now have a nail attached along the edges but completely hollow underneath. You can easily see the entire nail bed underneath. Just to be safe, I have been applying Neosporin under the nail to prevent any funagal ifections.
Now what do I do? Should I leave the nail shell attached, or should I remove it? How about a Dr.?
i had a similar experience breaking in some new soccer studs. i don’t think the nail can re-attach itself at this point and it is essentially dead. the only thing keeping in all likelihood is some over grown skin around the edge. i just removed mine myself. i started just clipping it off until i could grab better with the clippers and then just pulled. it came off pretty easily. no pain or anything like that. the toe felt a little odd running afterwards, but that was it. i don’t think it is that big of deal and it shouldn’t pose any big problems. i know of people who had all their toe nails come off after a marathon and they were fine.
I got hit on my toe with a cricket ball from a fast bowler during a match. My toe and nail went black and my nail died. It hung around for a while held on by surrounding skin. If you can stand the irritation (and it is not infected) its probably best to leave it on there whilst the new nail grows back underneath. Eventually the new nail will push the old nail off (or more likely you’ll pull it off yourself when talking off a sock!).
That happened a couple of times to me a few years ago when I was training for my first marathon. It’s really no big deal, and if you’re going to do long distance stuff, it will most likely happen again.
I guess among ultramarathoners, toenails falling off is so common that a lot of runners just go ahead and have them proactively “amputated”.
About 10 years ago, when I was in college, I kept getting ingrowns over the course of several months. Finally the podiatrist just removed the whole thing and attempted to “kill” the cuticle with acid. It was never supposed to grow back, but it sort of did, albeit in a really deformed, disgusting manner. I now have this gnarly hunk of nail on my big toe. It doesn’t bother me, though, and I never went back to the podiatrist for a follow up.