Help. My toe nails are falling off!!

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RitaCarriere
RitaCarriere Posts: 38 Member
in Getting Started
I've been walking for 2 months daily at a very fast pace and after the first week the nail on my big toe turned purple and wanted to fall off but I squeezed all the fluid out and taped it. Now it's dark purple and on the verge of falling off. I also noticed the nail missing on my second toe and the other big toe is bruising. I wear the New Balance running shoes and weigh next to nothing, nor do they rub on my toes when walking. Has this happened to anyone else, if so what did you do? I would hate to to lose all my toe nails and be stuck with ugly feet. Le Sigh.
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Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    That doesn't sound normal. Go see a doctor.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    That doesn't sound normal. Go see a doctor.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    That doesn't sound normal. Go see a doctor.

    QFT!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    That doesn't sound normal. Go see a doctor.

    Couldn't agree more...
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
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    Even though it doesn't seem like a shoe thing it very well could be. Like others posted I would suggest seeing your primary care physician or going to see a foot specialist.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Go to a running store and get fitted properly for shoes.

    I had a pair I randomly bought that did that to my big toe. Since I got fitted, I don't have that problem.
  • Laurayinz
    Laurayinz Posts: 922 Member
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    I've heard of that happening to marathon runners... perhaps your shoes don't fit as well as you think? Do you keep the nails trimmed close or are/were they kinda long?

    I've gotten my running shoes from a special running store, and ended up needing a whole size bigger than other shoes. Your toes can take a heavier beating than with casual walking so you may need the extra space.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Your shoes might need to be a half size bigger. You're getting this from your toe repeatedly ramming the front of your shoe like it's a $5 *kitten*. If it makes you feel better the second toenail on both of my feet are only half grown back. I got mine from running in the rain with wet shoes/feet.

    The good news is that this isn't a serious problem. Keep doing what you're doing. Just think about giving your toes more room.
  • onecatleadstoanother
    onecatleadstoanother Posts: 70 Member
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    This happened to my mom, she has a lot of problems with her feet. Her toes were rubbing against the seam in her socks and sometimes the toe of her shoe. She ended up having to get orthotics and new shoes and stay off her feet for a while. Def get to a doctor, and maybe ride a bike for a little while? Good luck!
  • btsinmd
    btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
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    That started happening to me when I started running. The running store employees told me that it's common with runners who don't get shoes large enough. Your feet swell when you're running and I guess long walking too. I bought shoes a size larger and no problems since.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    You should go see a doc but this is from yahoo.com:

    "...The most frequent cause of black toenails -- which is so linked with running that the condition is also known as runner's toe. Black toenails or Runner's Toe happens when the toenail is either pressed down too much on the bed that underlies it or the nail separates from the bed. In either case, blood pools between the nail and the bed. Eventually the nail turns black.

    According to webmd.com, when this condition is caused by the nail being pressed into the bed, it's almost never painful. It is however very ugly. The toenail gets very hard, and it looks like hell, but it won't bother you. After a few months, the nail will grow out and fall off.

    Black toenails can be the result of tight fitting shoes, so even if you don't run you can get them. And black toenails are Equal Opportunity all the way - both males and females can get them. Only women are lucky: they can paint their toenails and change the black to a nicer color - like red.

    Sometimes, the toenail loosens rather than hardens, and this is usually uncomfortable. New runners whose toenails aren't used to much wear and tear will get these more than longtime runners. If your black toenail is wobbly, experts recommend you sterilize a needle, and then use it to drain the blood from under the nail, as you would drain a blister.

    I think I am one of the few people who suffers from chronic black toenails. My toenails have been black for so long that they just are that color. Sometimes when I am deeply engrossed watching my favorite TV show Lost, I will whittle away at my nasty-looking black toenails, and try my best to remove the toenail on the big toe.

    At any rate, menshealth.co.uk reiterates that runner's toe is usually caused by ill-fitting shoes. If your shoes aren't long enough, your longest toe (which in some people is the second toe) will slam against the front of the shoe. You might also irritate your nails by running on a course that has a lot more declines than you're used to, because your toes are going to rise up a bit more than usual on a decline than an incline to help you brake. Wet shoes, either from sweat or rain, are also a leading cause of runner's toe...."
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I think I am one of the few people who suffers from chronic black toenails. My toenails have been black for so long that they just are that color.

    It's basically pooled blood beneath the nail from a bruise. it isn't actually a black toenail. Toenails themselves cannot change color as they are dead cells. Drain the blood and your toenail will be clear again. It's just like if you slam your finger in a car door.
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    My running shoes are a half size larger than my other shoes. And keep your toenails trimmed. I've been running for 10 years and have all my toenails. And very cute feet, if I do say so myself :)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    This is not uncommon in long distance runners, if it's happening while you're walking you need shoes that fit properly (if that doesn't solve the problem see your doctor) Toenails grow back.........
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    This would be a wasted trip to the doctor. Spend the gas money on a trip to a specialty running shoe store and get the right size shoes.
  • bunnybutler29
    bunnybutler29 Posts: 291
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    I know everyone is talking about shoe size, but my sister had a problem one time when she went into a friends yard with no shoes on and picked up a foot fungus that affects the nails and that is exactly what she had from what you described. The only treatment for it was a prescription from the dr. Crazy though that she picked it up in the grass. Perhaps you should look into it.
  • hidbee
    hidbee Posts: 52 Member
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    you need bigger shoes
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    It isn't necessarily even shoe SIZE. My shoes were the right size. They just didn't fit my feet/stride the right way. I needed the same size in different shoes.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Yes on the 'you need bigger shoes'. Serious runners always get their running shoes 1/2 size larger than their street shoe size for this very reason. Same goes for the walkers. You need to keep your toes from hitting the front of your shoe, which what they are now currently doing, and it is causing them bruise and for you to lose your toenails.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    That happened to me when I was running a LOT ( mean when I was running frequently. I lost toenails only twice). Think it was something to do with my running socks letting my feet slide around. I just took the toenails off (painlessly), Savlon'd it and plastered on day one, then let it heal in the air after that. Took a while for my toenails to regrow but it was no big deal. Check your running shoe size at a running store.

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