Do you suffer from ingrown toe nails?
Ingrown toe nails are one of the most common pathologies we treat at SOLE THERAPY. In most cases people believe that ingrown toe nails resolve themselves and avoid treatment however more often than not this leads to infection and extreme pain.
Antibiotics alone can help in reducing infection and inflammation however do not correct the cause of the issue at hand so are often not the ideal treatment.
What causes ingrown toe nails?
Ingrown toe nails are caused by the following,
- Poor fitting footwear often shoes with are too small.
- Knocking or stubbing a toe.
- Genetic predisposition.
How is an ingrown toe nail treated?
Conservative treatment of ingrown toe nails include the removal of the offending side which is done within a standard consult. Following this subsequent consultations are advised to help prevent and re train the nail to not ingrown once more.
For ingrown toe nails who cannot be manage conservatively a surgical approach is often advised. This involves the removal of the offending nail under local anaesthetic, where the nail matrix “roots” are burnt eliminating the offending side of the nail ever growing again.
What is the recovery time for surgery?
The surgical procedure often takes between 1.5-2 hours to be complete depending on the amount of toes and sides treated. Once complete you are able to walk out of the procedure where most people are surprised how painless the recovery is. Post-surgery it is recommended that the patient does rest, elevate and keep the dressing dry/clean for 3-4 days. After this period of time a review consultations is held to clean the wound and change the dressing to a much smaller one. Full recover usually takes 3-4 weeks depending on age and circulation levels.
Come and visit SOLE THERAPY for better management of your ingrown toe nails! Call the clinic on 02 9583 1138 or book an INITIAL GENERAL TREATMENT.
Words from one of our Podiatrist's,
DR DANIEL TALEVSKI
(PODIATRIST)
