Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails can be an extremely painful problem! You might not think such a small part of your body could cause so much distress, but a severe ingrown toenail could cause agony just by putting on a pair of shoes or draping a bedsheet against your foot.

But not to worry! At the Foot and Ankle Center of Oklahoma, we do our best to fix your ingrown toenail as easily and comfortably as possible. Treatment does not hurt, and we’ll get you on your way quickly. There’s no need to feel anxious or scared!

What Is an Ingrown Toenail?

The main symptom that will clue you in to the problem is tenderness or pain along one or both edges of the affected nail. This may be accompanied by redness, swelling, and sometimes even an infection.

If your pain is still mild, and you are otherwise a healthy individual, you may attempt some home care strategies first, if you really want to. Those are outlined below.

That said, it’s usually in your best interest to come see us, just because it’ll provide a safer, quicker, and more comfortable resolution with fewer risks of complications. Also, if your ingrown toenail is accompanied by severe pain, redness that spreads, pus in the area, or you have diabetes, you should always schedule an appointment with us right away. Do not wait!

Make It Easy on Yourself

We get it! Going to see a specialist for a painful problem like ingrown toenails can seem scary, especially if it’s your first time. But we aren’t kidding when we say we really do everything we can to make the experience a legitimately pleasant one.

If you’re really worked up about the idea of pain or needles (and it’s okay if you are!) we are happy to provide a topical numbing cream first, before applying the local anesthetic. We can even provide anti-anxiety medication at this point too if you’re really struggling (although if you go this route, you’ll need someone to drive you home.)

The actual injection process itself is quite mild.

• We’ll use a cold spray first to partially numb the toe.
• The needle itself could fairly be described as teeny-tiny. It’s the smallest one we could possibly use for this kind of procedure.
• The injection is made at the base of the toe, not the tip.
• The anesthetic is mixed with a little sodium bicarbonate, which makes it less acidic (and therefore takes away a lot of the “sting.”)
• It’s applied slowly, which takes away a lot of the “burn.”

We can honestly say that it’s probably going to be the most pleasant experience you’ve ever had with a needle. Even patients who normally have a lot of anxiety about needles tell us how easy it was!

What Are Your Treatment Options?

So now that your toe is numb, what are we actually going to do to your nail?

The first, simplest approach is for us to just gently trim back the nail to reduce the pressure. (Don’t attempt this at home—we’re professionals, so we know how to do this without making the problem worse.) This can be done in the future anytime you have an ingrown toenail.

If ingrown toenails are a recurring problem in your life, you may additionally want us to remove a portion of the nail matrix as well. This will prevent the part of the nail that keeps getting ingrown from growing back. Problem solved!

An Avulsion is also a treatment option. This procedure is very similar to removing the nail matrix, but the only difference is the toenail is able to regrow.

Either way, most people are back on their feet and tackling their ordinary day-to-day activities within 24 hours of the procedure. If you are a serious athlete or swimmer, you might have to wait a week or two to go back to full speed, but that’s pretty much it.