I broke my ankle about three years ago in a car accident. I followed all of the doctor's instructions as my ankle healed, but something didn't heal quite right. Two and a half years later, I was still having severe pain and my doctor couldn't figure out why. He suggested that I see a podiatrist to have it looked at more closely. It turns out that there is a lot more to an ankle injury than I had known. Scroll through my site to find out what can really happen to your ankle when it is broken and what could cause the pain to continue long after the injury is sustained.
As a runner, your feet endure a lot of stress, and it's not unusual for something to go wrong. For example, if you're experiencing pain and redness on either side of one of your toenails, you probably have an ingrown toenail. While ingrown nails can happen to anyone, they're especially annoying if you're a runner because they really hurt when you lace up your shoes and hit the track. Here are some tips for dealing with your ingrown toenail so it does not become worse or sideline you this season.
Make sure you're wearing the right shoes.
Ingrown toenails often develop, in runners and nonrunners alike, when a person wears shoes that put too much pressure on the tops of the toes. Since you spend hours every week in your running shoes, they're a likely culprit. Lace up your shoes and judge how much pressure they're putting on your toes. If there's not enough room for you to move your toes up and down, visit a running store and look for a pair with a roomier toe box.
Keep in mind that your foot can change size and shape as you age. Just because you ran in a certain model of shoes for years and they did not cause a problem before does not mean they aren't to blame for your ingrown nails now. Of course, you should make sure the rest of your nonrunning shoes fit well, too, and avoid wearing any that press on your toes.
Apply antibiotic cream before running.
Ingrown toenails are prone to infection. Bacteria that cause infection love warm, moist places, such as the insides of your running shoes. To keep your ingrown toenails from becoming infected, apply some antibiotic cream to them before each run. After your run, wash your feet promptly. Also, keep your shoes clean so that they don't become overly bacteria-ridden. If you run through water, for instance, let them dry completely before wearing them again, and invest in an antiseptic shoe spray to use every few days.
Keep your toenails trimmed properly.
Allowing your toenails to get too long can also contribute to ingrown nails. Keep your toenails cut short, and cut them straight across—they're less likely to grow into the skin on the side of your nail this way. Cut the nails that are ingrown carefully. Resist the urge to "dig" them out from under your skin. If you cut them carefully and follow the tips above, they may correct themselves within a few weeks.
Of course, if your ingrown toenails do continue to bother you after a few weeks of following these tips, it's time to see a podiatrist, like one from Aiken Maurice W, DPM PA. He or she can trim them in a way that keeps them from becoming ingrown again. Also visit a podiatrist if you think your toenail has become infected. Signs of infection include intense redness that extends past the immediate area surrounding the toenail and pus leeching from the tissue around the nail.
Share21 August 2015
