I ran a marathon last Sunday and my nail got completely black and purple two days after the pain stopped but today it came back out of nowhere. I realized that not all of my nail is attached, i can see blood under it and I clear sticky liquid is coming out. I don't know what this is and i am kind of scared.
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Runners toe gone bad
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Basically, you got a blood blister under your nail and now it is draining. You will likely be much happier if you have the loose nail removed. It will speed up the healing process greatly. If you do nothing, the nail will eventually come off on its own but will cause you discomfort and put you at risk for infection until that happens which could take several weeks. See a podiatrist to have it removed. It's nearly painless. You will grow a new nail either way.
When the nail gets loose, it can easy become like a knife and irritate the soft tissue around the nail leading to infections. Definitely have the loose nail removed and the area involved cleaned up. It is one of the personal trophies you get from marathon running. Red Badge of Courage for a runner!! Dr Rich Blake
You have something called subungual hematoma, which means a blood blister that is trapped underneath the nail plate. I recommend that you see a local podiatrist who can treat you properly. If you left it alone, it might be painful for you since it is acute and the nail might eventually fall off. You also want to make sure it does not get infected so it is best to be under care of a doctor. You will have a new healthy nail grow out eventually.
Sounds like you have a detached nail. When there is a large amount of activity present, we can end up getting small bruises under our nails. When the activity is for an extended period of time, the bleeding can be greater too. The bleeding has caused the nail to detach and may need to be removed. I would seek the help of your local podiatrist.
Very common in distance runners, called subungual hematoma (bruising under toenail). The nail often falls off on its own. If you have pain or drainage (pus or fluid) coming from nail, you have an infection. See a podiatrist. In the meantime, soak foot in warm water and Epsom salts. Good luck.
No worries, just see your local Podiatrist and have the toe nail removed the rest of the way. Just consider that you have started the process and have undergone the majority of the discomfort already. Once removed the nail bed can heal quicker however your toe will be a little uncomfortable but this should pass quickly as well. Just make sure you take care of it soon so you can avoid the infection that in all likelihood occur if you leave it there and it rips the rest of the way off on its own. Ouch!!! good luck
No Problem.
You have a subungual hematoma "blood blister under the toe nail" Since the nail is partially loose, go to your podiatrist and have it removed. You will then follow his instructions to prevent infections for the following week.
The new nail will grow in. Initially it will be deformed, thickened with a wavy look. This usually is present for the first few months and then it usually straightens out, especially in younger patients like yourself that have higher amounts of stem cells. You can file the top with an emery board to make it look normal. There is a chance that the nail will develop a fungus or stay deformed, so have him check you 6 months later.
The key thing is to prevent recurrence. This can be done by modifying your shoe by making a slit in the toe box directly over the area in a front to back direction (no sideways), or you can buy a shoe with a higher toebox, or purchase a thinner insole to make more room on the top. Rarely a shoe that is too large will develop large wrinkles that can increase the pressure to the top of the toenail.
Biomechanically, we have seen this in patients that land foot flat. If this is the case, stretch your calf muscles, and this will get you down to your heels naturally. Don't force the change in foot strike. Additionally, if you are understriding (the ankle doesn't make it to under the knee), you can stretch your hamstrings so that you can develop a longer stride (which will also make you faster).
You have a subungual hematoma "blood blister under the toe nail" Since the nail is partially loose, go to your podiatrist and have it removed. You will then follow his instructions to prevent infections for the following week.
The new nail will grow in. Initially it will be deformed, thickened with a wavy look. This usually is present for the first few months and then it usually straightens out, especially in younger patients like yourself that have higher amounts of stem cells. You can file the top with an emery board to make it look normal. There is a chance that the nail will develop a fungus or stay deformed, so have him check you 6 months later.
The key thing is to prevent recurrence. This can be done by modifying your shoe by making a slit in the toe box directly over the area in a front to back direction (no sideways), or you can buy a shoe with a higher toebox, or purchase a thinner insole to make more room on the top. Rarely a shoe that is too large will develop large wrinkles that can increase the pressure to the top of the toenail.
Biomechanically, we have seen this in patients that land foot flat. If this is the case, stretch your calf muscles, and this will get you down to your heels naturally. Don't force the change in foot strike. Additionally, if you are understriding (the ankle doesn't make it to under the knee), you can stretch your hamstrings so that you can develop a longer stride (which will also make you faster).
The mictotrauma to your toe during the training and the actual race race itself caused bleeding under the nail and thus the black color. This could be from a poor fit if the shoe or from the sock. Since the nail is partially detached there continues to be friction between the underlying skin and the loose nail causing pain and the drainage you describe. This can lead to infection. Trim away as much of the loose nail as you can and begin soaking the foot a couple of times a day in warm Epsom salts water--usually one tablespoon of Epsom salt for every quart of warm water. Soak 10 minutes each time. Dry your toe with the cool setting of your hair dryer, place a dab of antibiotic cream where the nail used to be, and cover with a band aid. If this isn't helping see your doctor.
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