Relation Between Nail Consistency and Incidence of Ingrown Toenails in Young Male Runners.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the possible influence of factors such as nail shape and consistency, sex, and sports activity on the development of the most common nail disorders in a population of young people. METHODS: The nail plates of 140 young people (66 females and 74 males) were studied. Of these 140 participants, 72 were runners who trained more than 10 hours a week and competed regularly, and 68 did not habitually do any sports activity. Nail shape, consistency, and disorders were examined, taking into account the sex of the participants and their sports activity. RESULTS: A hard nail consistency is more frequent in runners (74.4%) than in people who do no sports activity (25.6%). In contrast, a soft nail consistency is more prevalent in participants who do no sports activity (70%) than in runners (30%). It was also shown that onychocryptosis is related to sex, as females had a higher prevalence of this nail disorder (57.8%, P = .016). However, young male runners showed the highest and most significant percentage of the presence of onychocryptosis (74.1%; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Sports activity by young male runners whose nails have a hard consistency seems to be directly related to the high incidence of onychocryptosis in this population.

"Retronychia--clinical and pathophysiological aspects".

Retronychia represents proximal ingrowth of the nail that occurs when the nail embeds backwards into the proximal nail fold. It is suspected when there is a persistent paronychia, particularly in the setting of trauma. Important clinical criteria for diagnosis are inflammation of the proximal nail fold, granulation tissue emerging from under the nail fold, thickening of the proximal portion of the nail plate and interruption of nail growth. The condition is rarely diagnosed and often misinterpreted, and is therefore unnecessarily treated with systemic antibiotics and antifungals. Avulsion of the nail confirms the diagnosis and it is the curative treatment. Conservative treatment with an adhesive technique is a valid option in early cases. We report 20 cases of retronychia diagnosed in our department between 2010 and 2013.

Resin splint as a new conservative treatment for ingrown toenails.

Several conservative as well as surgical methods are used for the treatment of ingrown toenails until date. The conservative methods are either based on nail splinting or on orthonyxia, but no methods employing both principles have been reported thus far. Moreover, surgical methods usually involve postoperative pain, prolonged wound healing and restricted activities of daily living. Therefore, considering the need of a simplified, non-invasive method, in this study, we applied a novel splint to treat patients with ingrown toenails and estimated the clinical efficacy as well as rate of recurrence following treatment. The splint is a plate made of resin that is attached to the lateral edge of the nail using a bandage. We studied 61 patients (19 men and 42 women; mean age 36 years), with an average application duration of 9.3 months and an average follow-up period of 10 months in all patients. All patients experienced pain relief within a week of splint application and a decrease in the degree of nail deformity. Moreover, follow-up revealed a recurrence rate of 8.2%. Therefore, we believe that this new device is an excellent conservative treatment method for patients with ingrown toenails.

Indinavir-related recurrent paronychia and ingrown toenails.

Lamivudine and indinavir are two medications used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that have recently been reported to cause paronychia. The nails of the great toes are commonly affected. This is the second report of paronychia and ingrown toenails due to indinavir and the first report of recurrent paronychia and ingrown toenails associated with this drug.

Improved healing with a collagen-alginate dressing in the chemical matricectomy.

A prospective clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a collagen-alginate wound dressing in the postoperative management of chemical matricectomies. The study involved 20 patients and 23 separate procedures. The collagen-alginate-dressing treatment group had an average healing time of 24.4 days, compared with 35.8 days for the control group, which received treatment consisting of soaks and daily dressing changes (P < .05). The authors suggest that using a collagen-alginate wound dressing in the postoperative management of chemical matricectomies will shorten healing time, thus reducing infection rates and increasing patient compliance and satisfaction.

Onychocryptosis.

Onychocryptosis is prevalent throughout the world and is most often the result of abortive self-attempts at curing the condition in its earliest stages. Its clinical presentation can often be confused with a number of osseous and soft-tissue abnormalities, some of which have great import to a patient's overall welfare. Treatment consists of local and systemic care, including nail avulsion. Recurrences are reduced when some form of effective matricectomy is used. Matricectomy techniques vary and must be selected on the basis of caregiver and patient preference.

Common sports injuries of the foot and ankle seen in children and adolescents.

Foot and ankle problems are common in child and adolescent athletes. These problems may include congenital variants and the osteochondroses, acute and chronic bone and soft-tissue injuries, and infections. In this article, the diagnosis and treatment of these foot and ankle conditions are discussed.

Rational therapy for ingrown toenails. A prospective study.

Partial phenolization of the germinal matrix is described as a simple and effective procedure for the treatment of ingrown toenails. It is illustrated in a summary of anatomy and pathophysiology as well as in a randomized prospective trial.