Treatment For Painful Big Toe After Pedicure

Can Pedicures Get Rid Of Ingrown Toenails

Many may believe that visiting a nail technician for a pedicure can rid or prevent ingrown toenails. However, this isnt the case. Pedicures arent recommended by podiatrists and are actually believed to make the condition worse. The best way to treat ingrown toenails is to prevent them through healthy foot habits, starting at home. Ask your podiatrist for tips and tricks to prevent future ingrown toenails.

When Pedicures Go Bad

If pedicure tools arentsterilized properly, you can get skin and nail infections, which may show upimmediately or later even months later. These include:

• Bacterial infections. If your toenail or the area around the nail appears red, hot or swollen a few days after your pedicure, you may have a bacterial skin or nail infection. Treatment can include antibiotics and possibly an incision to drain the area.
• Fungal infections. Your nail turning yellow and beginning to lift off is a sign of a nail fungus, one of the most common results of a rogue pedicure. Fungal infections may not appear for months. Oral and topical treatments can resolve these infections.
• Viral infections. These come in the form of plantar warts, the most common viral infection of the foot, and may not show up for months after the pedicure. You can pick these up in the salon or spa or neighborhood pool. Dark spots and a callus-like covering are common with plantar warts. Treatment for these include medicine that applied to the skin.

If you notice signs of any of these infections, see yourdoctor for treatment ASAP.

How Can Ingrown Toenails Be Prevented

• Cut your nails straight across do not cut them too short or too low at the sides. The corner of the nail should be visible above the skin.
• Keep your feet clean and dry. Let air get to your toes when possible.
• Avoid tight shoes and use cotton socks rather than synthetic.
• If you have diabetes, you should take extra care when cutting your nails:
• Cut the nail straight across or follow the shape of the end of the toe, but be very careful not to cut too low at the sides as above.
• Gently file any sharp edges with a nail file.
• If you have any loss of feeling in your feet, you should visit a podiatrist to have your nails trimmed, rather than doing it yourself.
• If you can’t see your feet or nails very well, you should visit a podiatrist to have your nails trimmed, rather than doing it yourself.

Further reading and references

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Taking Otc Pain Relievers

To counter pain caused by an ingrown nail, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever. One example is Panadol, which is paracetamol. Be sure to take only the recommended daily amount of 3,000 milligrams to avoid side effects.

Nurofen is ibuprofen and is a better solution if there is pain and swelling. Common side effects of ibuprofen include:

• diarrhoea
• upset stomach and
• abdominal pain

Voltaren is diclofenac and it can also help ease the pain in your toes. Both of these drugs are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and all of them can cause stomach and bowel upset.

Rest And Elevate Your Toe

When suffering from a sore big toe, resting and elevating your foot can help a lot in relieving pain and swelling.

Rest is especially helpful if you have a sore toe due to an injury or overexertion. Try and stay off your foot for a few days, and soon you will notice improvement in the pain. Also, you must avoid any kind of strenuous exercise, and do not even go walking or jogging until your pain passes.

Also, elevate the foot with the sore toe while youre resting. Elevation can help reduce soreness and swelling.

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What Is Toenail Pain

There are many habits and conditions that can make your toenails hurt. For example, wearing shoes that are too tight or cutting your toenails too short can make your toenails hurt for a few days.

Toenails may also hurt because of more serious conditions like infections. People who have diabetes or problems with decreased blood flow are more likely to develop foot infections that can cause toenail pain.

In many cases, toenail pain can be treated at home. But you should call your doctor if at-home treatments dont work, your toenail pain worsens, or you notice drainage or pus around the nail.

Rarely, infections of the toe can become more serious and cause symptoms such as fever and nausea. In this case, you should go to the ER immediately.

Claw Toes And Mallet Toes

A claw toe curls upward at the joint where the toes and the foot meet and downward at the middle and end joints of the toe, making the toe look curved, or clawlike.

Claw toes often develop calluses and corns where they rub against shoes. While tight shoes can be blamed for claw toes, so can nerve damage to the feet , which weakens foot muscles.

With mallet toes, the toe bends downward at the joint at the tip of the toe, and a painful corn often grows at the tip of the toe where it presses against the ground. Generally, the second toe is affected because its the longest. Injuries and arthritis are among the causes of mallet toe, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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How Is A Toe Infection Treated

If bacteria caused the infection, an antibiotic cream or pill can clear up the problem. Fungal infections are treated with antifungal pills or cream. You can buy antifungal medicines over the counter or with a prescription from your doctor.

To treat an ingrown toenail, your doctor might lift the nail and place a piece of cotton or a splint underneath it. This will help the nail grow away from your skin. If lifting doesn’t work, the doctor can remove part or all of the affected nail.

Sometimes the infection can cause a pus-filled blister to form. Your doctor might have to drain the blister.

You can also try these remedies at home:

• Soak the toe for about 15 minutes in a bathtub or bucket filled with warm water and salt. Do this three to four times a day.
• Rub a medicated ointment on the toe and wrap it in a clean bandage.
• To treat an ingrown toenail, gently lift the corner of the nail. Place a small piece of cotton or waxed dental floss underneath to hold the nail away from your skin.

Youâll also want to protect your toe while it heals. To help it heal properly, wear loose, comfortable shoes that don’t rub. Keep your foot dry, and change your socks every day.

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Take Good Care Of Your Feet And Theyll Take Good Care Of You

The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons made of strong fibrous tissues to keep all the moving parts together not to mention more sweat glands than any other part of the body.

Indeed, the foot is an evolutionary marvel, capable of handling hundreds of tons of force your weight in motion every day. The foots myriad parts, including the toes, heel, and ball, work together to get you from one place to another.

But the stress of carrying you around puts your feet at high risk of injury, higher than any other body part. And many foot problems, including hammertoes, blisters, bunions, corns and calluses, claw and mallet toes, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, and athletes foot, can develop from neglect, ill-fitting shoes, and simple wear and tear.

Pain in your feet may even be the first sign of a systemic problem. Gout, for example, often affects the foot joints first.

So what can you do to identify and manage some common foot-health issues?

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Treatment From A Foot Specialist

A podiatrist may offer further treatments, such as:

• cutting away part of the nail
• removing the whole nail

You’ll have an injection of local anaesthetic to numb your toe when this is done.

Referral to a podiatrist on the NHS may not be available to everyone and waiting times can be long. You can pay to see a podiatrist privately.

When To See A Doctor

Although you can do many things to treat an infected toe at home, its important to understand when you need to seek medical care. Call your doctor or a podiatrist if:

• You are noticing redness, swelling, and/or drainage coming from your toe
• You think you may have a fungal infection and over-the-counter creams havent worked
• You have an infected or ingrown toenail and youre diabetic
• Your toenail infection symptoms dont go away, they worsen, or they keep coming back

You should seek immediate medical attention if you have a fever and notice red streaks on your skin that lead away from the infected area on your toe, as these symptoms indicate a more severe infection.

An infected toenail can impact your daily life, but it doesnt have to. Learning how to treat an infected toe and knowing when to call your doctor can get you back to doing all the activities you love. If youre concerned about an infection in your toe, you should schedule an appointment with a podiatrist before attempting to treat painful symptoms at home.

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For Persistent Ingrown Toenails

It may be necessary to remove part of the nail. The usual procedure is as follows:

• The toe is made numb and painless by injecting local anaesthetic into the base of the toe.
• The toenail is then cut with scissors longways a few millimetres in from the offending edge.
• It is cut right up to the base of the toenail and the offending edge can then be pulled out.
• A small amount of acid is often put on the exposed part of the nail bed. This helps to stop the edge of nail regrowing and causing another ingrown nail.
• The nail is then dressed.

Once the anaesthetic wears off, the toe may be sore so you may need mild painkillers such as paracetamol for a day or so. You will probably have to wear a bandage for about two weeks. During this time you will not be able to have a bath or go swimming. You also will not be able to do any strenuous exercise, such as running. After the operation, the nail will regrow but will be narrower than before.

How To Treat Ingrown Toenails

Sometimes,you can treat your ingrown toenails at home. If your ingrown toenail doesntshow any of the signs of infection swelling, hot to the touch, oozing, foulodor you might just try letting the nail grow out.

Soak it and wait. Dr. Stock suggests soaks in warm water with Epsom salt or a mild detergent, then applying an antibiotic ointment and bandage to the area.

Remove it yourself if theres no infection. First soak your feet in a very warm bath with Epsom salt. This softens the skin and reduces inflammation. Using clean nail-cutting tools, you can try to clip the affected area and apply antibiotic ointment afterward, says Dr. Botek.

See a podiatrist. For an infected ingrown toenail, or if you arent sure you can deal with treating yours at home, a podiatrist can perform the procedure under a local anesthetic. In the office, we can cut out the offending nail border after first numbing the area, Dr. Stock says. This helps the pain and allows the infection to heal, but may not prevent recurring ingrown toenails.

Never ignore an infected ingrown nail. A prolonged infection can spread and lead to serious complications, especially if you suffer from poor blood flow, an impaired immune system or neuropathy of diabetes .

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When To See Your Doctor

Make an appointment with your primary care doctor or a podiatrist if you have diabetes and if the redness, swelling, and other symptoms don’t go away with home treatment. See your doctor right away if:

• You have a fever or chills
• You notice red streaks on the skin leading away from the infected area
• Your joints or muscles hurt

Your doctor will examine your toe. You might need tests to find out what type of bacteria or fungus caused the infection.

Get regular checkups from your podiatrist if you have diabetes, so you can find infections and other problems early. See the doctor more often if you have any known foot problems, like an ingrown toenail.

Best Treatments For Big Toe Pain

The treatment for first toe pain is dependent on the condition but there are lots of methods that overlap and relieve pain. It is best to see a podiatrist so they can create a treatment plan specific to your condition and symptoms. A form of imaging can be used to confirm a diagnosis. An x-ray, ultrasound or MRI can all provide accurate answers as to what is occurring within your big toe. Icing and non steroidal anti inflammatory medications can be very effective in reducing acute big toe pain and reduce swelling. Conditions such as hallux rigidus and rheumatoid arthritis may require other medication that can be recommended by a rheumatologist. Foot strapping can be an effective treatment option for turf toe. There are a variety of insole and orthotic modifications that can be implemented to take pressure off the first toe or to provide it with added support. The use of pillows stacked next to your foot in bed to prevent the doona and sheet from touching the big toe whilst in bed is an effective way to keep pressure off the toe whilst trying to get a good nights sleep. Tight shoes can create shooting pain through the entire toe if it compresses on a nerve. Wearing shoes that fit correctly both help to protect and support your foot reducing the chance of toe injury.

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Keep Your Feet Healthy

That means keeping up with your hygiene, and treating your feet right when you see something that might irritate them.

A pedicure is a very simple procedure that is designed to improve the health of your feet.

It is recommended that you go to your local podiatrist for a cleaning and treatment once or twice per year, depending on how often you use the foot spa.

The best way to ensure that your feet stay healthy is to make sure that you get a pedicure done every six months, but most podiatrists will agree that it is fine to get a pedicure every six weeks.

The important thing to remember is that you can reduce the possibility of getting an ingrown toenail by taking care of your feet and keeping up with the cleaning and care that you should receive from your podiatrist.

Why Do Toes Get Sore After A Pedicure

The cracked heel and dry skin made walking with the cracked heel of my shoes very painful.

That made it difficult for me to walk or stand without feeling discomfort.

My doctor suggested that I visit a podiatrist for a better explanation.

There were many reasons why my feet were very sensitive to a pedicure.

He used a tool to harden it a little, but still caused dry skin and irritation.

Finally, when I tried to take off the powder and dry it on my own, I found that I got even more irritated by the dryness.

The podiatrist explained that this problem is common among his patients.

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Warning Signs Of An Infected Toenail

Ingrown toenails are a common problem but that doesnt mean you should ignore them. Take heed of the warning signs to avoid developing an infected toenail.

Does every step leave your foot aching in pain? You may want to get that checked out.

20% of people who see a doctor about foot problems have an ingrown toenail.

Instead of letting the problem get worse, know the warning signs. In this guide, well review the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for an infected toenail. If you ignore these signs, however, the infection could spread.

Take action if you notice these warning signs of an infected toenail.

If You Have Extremely Dry Skin You May Want To Buy A Moisturizer For Your Feet

If you havent already started using one, its probably a good idea to do so.

A moisturizer will help keep your skin moist, which will help keep fungus from growing.

Also, its important to keep your shoes in good condition-having good, clean shoes is an important preventative to athletes foot and plantar fasciitis.

Once you have kept your feet clean and dry, youll want to protect them against further injury.

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Ingrown Toenail Remedies You Can Do At Home

Ingrown toenails that are not showing signs of infection can be treated at home. There are ingrown toenail remedies for mild cases that only need simple treatment.

Health care professionals do not recommend treating an infected ingrown toenail. Never attempt to lift your ingrown toenail with cotton or dental floss. This could only introduce bacteria into the affected area.

You should see your foot and ankle doctor if:

• home remedies do not work for you
• you have poor circulation or
• you have diabetes

• partially removing the nail and
• removing the nail and tissue

What Is An Ingrown Toenail

The nail becomes ingrown when the side of the nail cuts into the skin next to the nail. This can become painful. The skin next to the nail may also become infected or inflamed. Any toe can be affected but it is usually the big toe. It is a common problem, especially in teenagers and young adults. However, ingrown toenails can also occur in babies or toddlers.

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