Skier's Toe

Ever been skiing and noticed your toenail had turned black and incredibly painful at the end of the day? Was it black in part or all of the nail? This is a very common injury from skiing, and in fact, is often referred to as a "skier's toe".

The medical term is a subungual hematoma, which simply means bleeding under the nail. This can occur from a single instance of trauma like dropping something on your toe, or from small, repetitive trauma like a too-small or too-big (so your foot slams back and forth) ski boot.

The good news is that this can be quickly remedied in a clinic if you head in within hours or a day of noticing the black nail. If you wait several days trying to tough it out, we have less success treating the nail. The doctor typically burns a tiny hole in the nail, which allows the drop or two of blood to come out. (Sorry for the yucky description, but that's what we do.)

The BETTER news is that again, PREVENTION is key! Make sure your ski boots fit properly- don't cram your foot into a friend's boots- and be sure your socks are not bunched up. This painful injury does NOT occur if your shoes/boots fit correctly!

BOTTOM LINE: Make sure your ski boots and socks fit properly, and avoid getting skier's toe!

Terrific Toenails

Okay, I'm definitely a fan of old-fashioned remedies that actually WORK, such as the old Vicks Vaporub on your neck/chest to help you breathe when your nose is stuffy from a cold or allergies. How wonderful that it doesn't make you sleepy or hyper while it works (unlike many of our decongestants and antihistamines.)
However, there is another use for this favorite product. Would you believe that putting vaporub on your yellow, thickened toenails will often cure the fungus causing this discoloration? Now, it does literally take months to see results, but even our expensive antifungal pills used for the same purpose take that long.
I read about this off-label use of vaporub over a decade ago, in the AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) journal. It was not a controlled study, and I know of no excellent evidence-based trials. I DO know that I have been recommending this benign treatment for more than ten years, and I estimate my patients' success rate around 80%!
The very best result I have seen was on my mother's toes, which had severe thinkening/discoloration, and they actually became almost normal in four months. I believe the trick was that she refrained from using any nail polish that whole time, and she was religious about putting on a smear of vaporub on her nails every night before bed.
BOTTOM LINE: Summer will be here in a few months, so consider an old home remedy for yellow toenails starting now!