Toenails Are Optional?

Best quote of the day was by Chris Mcdougall in the New York Times:

“You know any sport has gone off the rails when you have to remove body parts to do it,” said Christopher McDougall, the author of a recent book about ultrarunning called “Born to Run.”

With it’s motto of “all the news that’s fit to print” the Times seems to have not had room to fit the rest of what I’m sure Chris said. First, “Born To Run” is about a quest to run, and Chris’s quest was answered by running barefoot or in minimalist shoes. What I’m sure Chris said was that it might be easier to remove your shoes than have your toenails removed at their roots.

The article highlighted ultramarathoners who had elected to have all of their toenails removed rather than suffer thick nails, ingrown toenails, and bleeding underneath the nails. This is not something that would be done often or by many. It is not something that should really be necessary to do. Many runners, tennis players, and other athletes have problems with “black toe” or bleeding underneath a toenail or two. The first thing to do is make sure there is enough room at the front of the shoe. Be certain you have a fingers width in front of the longest toe. Make sure your socks fit well and don’t pinch your toes. Your socks should be made of a wickable material. Cut your toes just at the end of your toes, not too long, and not too short.

If you’ve developed bleeding under your toenail and it has turned black, don’t panic. If you have Diabetes, or any other medical problem that could cause foot insensitivity or a neuropathy, get to your doctor or some place to be checked fairly quickly. If it hurts see your podiatrist for evaluation and advice. You may gradually have the nail fall off, but the new nail will reattach properly over 90% of the time. With repeated injury the toenail will usually thicken and in some cases it may not attach quite as well.

For toes that repeatedly grow in at the corners, having a portion of the ingrown part permanently removed might be the best option and a wise choice. For a toenail that has fallen off after bleeding underneath, and has a new toenail growing,  the new nail will usually reach the end with no problem. It moves forward slowly like a glacier and pushes the skin down in front of it. On occasion a corner won’t grow out and it will have to be removed. Only rarely does the entire front edge dig in and require removal of the whole nail. But, removing 10 toenails permanently? Sorry, I don’t expect to be doing that any time soon. I’d rather have you toss your shoes, and find a better fit. And Chris would get you out for a barefoot run.

Tagged as: Running, Toes