The Musculoskeletal System
Lesson 2: Diseases and Disorders of the Feet
Section IV: Arthritis of the Feet
2-20
2-20. INGROWN TOENAIL
An ingrown toenail (figure 2-11) curves inward with no free spaces at the margins. The sides of the toenail cut into the skin around the nail causing that area to become very sensitive to pressure. The side of a shoe pressing against the area is painful. What has happened is that the soft tissue of the big toe, for example, is reacting to the ingrown nail as if the nail were a foreign body.
Figure 2-11. Ingrown toenail.
a. Signs/Symptoms of Ingrown Toenail
(1) Tenderness.
(2) Pain.
(3) Redness.
(4) Swelling.
(5) Infection.
(6) Death of surrounding tissue.
Treatment of Ingrown Toenail. Keep the affected area dry. Surgery may be necessary. Surgical treatment is as follows:
(1) Anesthetize the side and base of the toe
(2) Make an incision of the nail incurvation without cutting into the epidermal tissue.
(3) After the incurvation is removed, put a solution of 88 percent carbolic and phenol acid on the remaining nail. If phenol gets on the surrounding tissue, sponge off with alcohol.
(4) Dress the site with Cortisporin® ointment and put on a compress for 24 hours.
