You are walking along and bump your foot into an object causing pain in the toe region. You ignore it initially and continue walking. The pain however does not subside and continues to make its presence felt often subtly at times sharply.

To know what the matter is you pull of your shoe and have a look at the toes. A reddish mark on the side of the big toe draws your attention. Closer inspection reveals a wound developed due to the nail border growing into the skin which has cut into the nail bed beneath.

You decide on a homemade remedy by taking a wad of cotton and swabbing the wound with an antiseptic. You also apply an ice pack on the wound which provides you with some relief. Then you forget all about it.

Some days later the pain again returns. This time you discover that the wound has not only grown in size but also smells along with a reddish watery discharge. It's time to visit the podiatrist and let the foot specialists have a look at it.

What is an Ingrown Toenail?

The podiatrist will check the wound for any signs of pus an indicator of infection. The diagnosis for the toe wound, you will be informed, is due to an ingrown toenail. The condition is referred to as "Onychocryptosis" and "Unguis Incarnates" in medical terminology.

Ingrown toenails are caused due to the nail growing downwards in a curve.

The reasons are

improperly fitting shoes cutting nails too deeply an accident like stubbing your toe genetic predisposition prior bacterial/ fungal infection

Footwear

Improperly fitting shoes in which the toe box is narrow causes crowding around the toes. This causes the skin to buildup over the nails giving rise to ingrown toenails. The condition can also occur on toenails other than the big toe as well as on the hand.

Ideally buy shoes that have about half an inch of space around the toe ends and fit snugly at the sides. A firm grip while walking is as important as avoiding tightly fitting shoes.

Trimming of nails

Another reason is cutting the nails too deeply and in a curve. Over a period of time this leads to the nail edge being buried into the skin which leads to the formation of ingrown toenails. Cut nails in a straight line leaving some part over the nail bed.

Injury

Accidents like stubbing your toe or injury due to an object falling on the toe can also cause ingrown toenails. Also repetitive activities like running on hard surfaces or playing football for long periods also cause damage to the foot and toes.

Treatment

Treatment for ingrown toenails is based on eradicating the infection, if present, and healing the wound. The podiatrist may prescribe an oral antibiotic to eliminate the infection.

Minor surgery may be required in which the nail and surrounding skin tissues are trimmed to facilitate the healing process.

An important aspect to be noted is whether the patient has a prior medical condition like diabetes, poor circulation in the foot or nerve damage. In this case the treatment would be more holistic, based on physiotherapy along with surgery.

Dos and Don'ts

An effective home remedy is to soak the feet in warm water with Epsom salts for up to 30 minutes. Gently massage the side of the afflicted toe nail which provides relief from the pain.

One should not try to cut the nail or surrounding tissue which would lead to further damage and infection.Other things to avoid include cutting a V-shaped notch in the nail which is incorrectly presumed to retard the inward nail growth.