Treating Ingrown Toenails
An ingrown toenail is often not something to be too concerned with. It’s often treatable well enough at home and viewed as simply just an inconvenience.
However, not all ingrown toenails are that way. There are cases when an ingrown toenail is too much to handle with self-care or requires the approach of a professional.
Is Your Ingrown Toenail Causing You Pain?
A bit of pain should be expected with every ingrown toenail. The nail is digging into the skin beside your nail, after all!
However, if it hurts too much, even gently, to touch the toenail or conduct home treatment, do not feel like you need to endure all that yourself. We have the means to help relieve the pain and take care of your ingrown toenail in a way that won’t have you howling in your bathroom.
Additionally, if your ingrown toenail is in severe pain, that may be a sign of an additional problem.
Is Your Ingrown Toenail Infected?
As with any infection, an ingrown toenail infection is not something to ignore or treat lightly. Although symptoms can start relatively minor, the problem can escalate and spread even to the bone. At that point, it becomes a serious situation.
In addition to severe pain, look for other signs of infection, such as:
Redness around the nail, especially that which seems to radiate outward from the site of the injury.
Heavy swelling.
Throbbing.
Bleeding.
An overly warm or hot feeling in the area.
Heavy discharge of pus or fluid (although a small amount of discharge can sometimes be normal).
The pressure felt beneath the nail.
If you suspect an infection, do not wait to see if things clear up. Call us immediately, and let us know what you are experiencing!
Here at PodiatryCare, PC, and the Heel Pain Center, we specialize in custom orthotics, along with various other foot and ankle ailments. Dr. Charlotte George, Dr. Matthew Tschudy, Dr. Rebecca Wiesner, Dr. Kristen Winters, Dr. Laura Vander Poel, and the rest of our team are dedicated to helping our Hartford County patients. To schedule an appointment at our Enfield location, call (860) 741-3041; for an appointment at our South Windsor location, call (860) 644-6525.