Podiatry clinic in Brandon helps tennis players with subungual hematoma

It’s almost summertime and people will be out playing a variety of sports, like tennis or racquetball. As you are getting fit, you may end up with a painful toe injury called a subungual hematoma. Dr. Rajnish Manohar, an expert podiatrist at the Gentle Foot Care Clinic (offices in both Zephyrhills Florida and Brandon Florida), would like you to know where to come if you are injured this way. Here’s some information about the condition and how you might be able to prevent it from happening in the future.

What is a Subungual Hematoma?

A subungual hematoma, which is also called Tennis toe or Runners Toe is normally triggered by recurring pressure and friction on the nail when the toe is consistently jammed against the front edge of a shoe (known as the toe box). This action frequently happens when all of a sudden stopping, altering direction or pivoting when running, such as when playing racquetball and tennis.

The name Tennis Toe is most commonly connected with tennis, for this reason the name, however can likewise affect soccer, football, squash, racquet round and basketball players in addition to runners and skiers.

A subungual hematoma is typically the result of uncomfortable shoes. Shoes that are either too loose or too tight can enhance the friction through the toe nail and lead to blood loss.

Signs and Symptoms of Subungual Hematoma

Signs are dark red coloring under the nail plate, typically following some injury or distressing event. The color might change or stay the very same for a very long time varying from red, dark red, brown, and even black. This might or may not trigger pain or swelling. If this dark colored appearance of your nail is seen without recalling any injury, you ought to have this thoroughly examined by Dr. Manohar at either his Brandon or Zephyrhills office, as other more significant conditions such as cancerous sores can happen under the nail.

Causes of subungual hematoma are injury related, either a direct impact like something dropped on your toe, or from recurring injury as an old tight shoe may cause.

Prevention of Subungual Hematoma

1. Clip Your Toe Nails: Keep toe nails clipped short so they don’t extend past the end of the toe. That will certainly reduce the pressure and friction, avoiding a subungual hematoma from establishing. Remember to always clip your toenails straight across instead of tapering them, otherwise you might end up with a subungual hematoma AND an ingrown toenail.
2. Wear Good shoes: Ensure you are using shoes that fit well. Some people wear shoes with steel toes to prevent friction and squashing of the toes. They can take a few days to obtain made use of to as they are heavier than regular shoes, however they actually can make a distinction, especially if you are playing a lot.
3. Taping: Tape the toe to the one alongside it. This may seem strange, but it does work.
4. Play on the Right Surface area: Tennis Toe is believed to be less typical when using natural surface areas such as a turf or clay court instead of on artificial surface areas

If the injury happens due to your shoes being too tight against the toe, brand-new shoes or inserts might prevent the hematoma. People taking any type of blood thinning medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are more vulnerable to the hematoma with injury. When injury initially strikes the nail, ice might relieve some of the pain and swelling. You must likewise stay clear of putting weight on this part of your foot up Dr. Manohar can take a look at it, as there may also be an associated foot fracture.

Treatment of Subungual Hematoma

Care of your foot after injury may consist of not doing anything except keeping a close eye on the nail as it “grows out”. The nail may remain to grow and the hematoma resolve by itself depending upon the extent of injury. The nail may also fall off over this amount of time as the nail has actually become loosened from the nail bed. When this takes place the nail generally grows back in time, but sometimes the injury also injured the nail matrix triggering long-term nail development deformities. If the injury is severe enough, Dr. Manohar might choose the very best treatment is to eliminate the nail entirely, or require a hole in the nail to drain the blood from underneath. A nail can become infected with a large pocket of dried blood. Relieving the blood from beneath the nail may likewise remove the pressure, which should alleviate the pain.

If you are an avid sports player and have a subungual hematoma, please contact Dr. Rajnish Manohar at his Brandon office (813) 502-5904 or in Zephyrhills (813) 782-3233. Alternately, you can submit a request by clicking the button below to schedule an appointment.