Have you ever come across a person with usual toes, toes that are mysteriously curled or bend upwards, downwards or inwards? As strange and intriguing as it may appear, the condition can be quite painful and is known as toe deformity. In toe deformity, the foot bone is unusually and abnormally positioned, resulting in pain and discomfort.

Toe deformity in a person can be of different types. It can be:

Hammer toe: This is one of the most commonly observed toe deformity. A hammer toe is characterized by the curling or bending down of the second toe at the proximal interphalangeal joint (the middle toe joint). The toe may further bend up at the distal interphalangeal joint (joint adjacent to the toe tip) or the metatarsophalangeal joint (meeting point of the foot and the toe) as well. In hammer toe, the awkward alignment results in a slight elevation in the joint of the middle toe. A hammer toe is often seen accompanied by a bunion (a bony bump or a deformity formed at the joint that links the foot with the big toe).
Mallet toe: Mallet toe mostly affects the second toe (other toes may be affected). The deformity results in bending down of the toe at the distal interphalangeal joint (appears like a mallet).
Claw toe: The deformity affects all the toes, with the big toe being an exception. Here, the toes bend up at the metatarsophalangeal joint and bend down at the distal interphalangeal joint. The deformity results in the toes curling down towards the floor (appears claw-like).
What causes Toe Deformity?
There can be many factors responsible for toe deformities.

Toe deformity in a person may be congenital (present from birth).
It can also be an outcome of medical conditions such as arthritis (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis), stroke, heart attack, diabetes, an injury, an accident, or wearing wrong footwear.
Toe deformity can also be hereditary.
Signs and symptoms:
The symptoms for Toe Deformity (hammer toe, claw toe, and mallet toe) include

There is redness, pain, and swelling in the affected part of the toe. In claw toe, however, there may or may not be pain associated with the condition.
A person faces difficulties in straightening the toe.
In hammer toe, corns, and calluses appear on the middle joint (top) of the affected toe.
In mallet toe, ulcers may occur on the toe (in diabetic patients).
Treatment:
Initially, toe deformity appears flexible, where movement around the affected joint is possible. However, if left unattended, the condition can become severe and rigid, thereby restricting the movement (in the affected area). Treatment for toe deformity depends on how severe the condition is.

In most cases, the treatment involves wearing custom-made shoes, fitted with supports (cushions or pads) and wider toe box.
Using of tapes and splints may be helpful in correcting and repositioning the deformed toe.
Patients with excruciating pain benefit immensely from cortisone injections.
Corn pads can be used to deal with corns and calluses better.
Toe stretching exercises are highly effective.
If severe cases or extreme rigidity, doctors may opt for surgical treatments like arthrodesis, tendon transfer, arthroplasty, to name a few.

Toe Deformity- What Causes It And What Are Its Treatment Options?

Your nails tell a lot about your health or the lack of it! Many health problems have nails as the indicators or warning signs. If your nails are not healthy or pink and shiny, you might be in for some sort of health issue.  If you have cracked nails, discoloured nails, irregularities or very thick nails then you probably have some internal health problem.

Look for these indicators to get an idea-

1) Color of your nails : Pink or white nails are considered healthy. Dark spots on your nails? surface are not just a sign of aging but also indicate a risk of heart disease. Red color is a possible sign of heart infections and green colour usually indicates local fungal infection.

2) Brittle nails: If your nails are brittle and get cracked often, it is due to lack of folic acid, vitamin C and protein. In 10% of cases, psoriasis starts with the nails.

3) Furrow nails: Furrow nails are the ones which are irregular with a dent like appearance. It may indicate you of psoriasis or auto-immune illness which leads to hair loss. Thick furrow nails may signal a yeast infection.

4) Thick nails: Nails thicken in time. Thick nails are neither natural nor normal. If your nails are extremely thick, you probably it could be that your lungs are not healthy. It can also indicative of the fact that your body has poor circulation.

5) Curved nails: If your nails are curved and concave like shape it might signal either lack of iron or heart problems.



What Your Nails Tell About Your Health

Your skin is the largest and most sensitive organ of your body. Funguses that live in the human body especially armpits, groin area, nails, and feet, cause fungal skin infections. Weak immunity is the leading cause, with over 300 million people fighting fungal infections globally, every year.

Some of the common types of fungal skin infections are-

  Athlete s foot- Also known as Tenia pedis, Athlete s foot occurs when the tenia fungus begins to grow on your feet. It is most commonly associated with athletes because it grows in warm and moist climates such as in socks, near swimming pools and in locker rooms.

Symptoms of athlete s foot  

Infected area becomes soft and layers of skin begin to peel off
Redness, blisters, and cracking of skin
Treatment includes applying of topical antifungal ointments such as terbinafine while, severe cases may require oral medication.

  Ringworm   Ringworm is a highly contagious skin infection and is spread by person-to-person or pet to person contact. The fungus can also spread through infected towel, clothes, and mud.

Symptoms of Ringworm  

Red itchy patches on the skin which develop into raised ring like bumps
Formation of scales on the patches
Treatment of the infection includes medicines like miconazole.

  Jock  s itch- Also known as Tinea Cruris, these fungi thrive in moist and warm areas of the body such as the groin, inner thighs and buttocks.

Symptoms of Jock s itch  

Itchy red circular rashes over the body and burning
Chafing and peeling of the infected area
Treatment includes prescribed medication and maintaining personal hygiene.

Prevention is better than cure when it comes to fungal infections. Visit a doctor at the first signs of infection. A medical exam is the best way to detect the cause of a skin infection.

Fungal Infection Of Skin And Its Treatment!

Fungal infections in nails are caused by an overgrowth of the fungi in your nails. When the growth of fungus happens on the fingernails or toenails, it is known as onychomycosis or tineaunguium. Here are the probable causes of why you might get a fungal nail infection:

Causes -

1. Diabetes
2. Problems in your circulatory system
3. Age
4. Artificial nails
5. Swim in public pools
6. Nail injuries
7. Skin injuries surrounding the nail
8. Fingers or toes which have been moist for an extended period of time
9. Immune system problems
10. Wearing shoes which have toes enclosed

It is also worth note that fungal infections happen much more frequently in your toenail as compared to your fingernail. This is because of two main reasons. The first reason is that fungi can grow very easily on your toenails because of the position. Your shoes are dark, warm and moist and therefore, perfect for the growth of fungi. The second reason for more fungal infections on your toenails as compared to your fingernails is because toes have less blood flow than fingers, thus making it harder for the immune system to fight off the infection.

Symptoms

Fungal infections in your nails are one of the easier infections to diagnose. This is because there are several symptoms which indicate you have this condition. Here are those symptoms.

1. Scaling underneath your skin
2. White or yellow streaks on your nails
3. Corners of the nail may crumble
4. Flaky surface of the nail
5. Yellow spots at the bottom of the nails
6. Loss of nail
7. A nail breaking off from the rest of the nails
8. An odour from the nail
9. Brittle or thick nails

Fungal Nail Infection - Know Symptoms Of It!

Tennis toe is also known as runner s toe since athletes are mostly runners; skiers and tennis players also get this injury often. Due to its ugly appearance, tennis toe is also known as a black toenail. This injury causes bleeding under the toe along with moderate to heavy pain. Although it is not considered to be type 1 serious injury, it can still force an athlete to abstain from participating in any events. The blood from the toenail might take its own sweet time to get out of the way. As a result, the recovery time for this injury can last for weeks together. This, unfortunately, is also an ideal condition for infection to set in.

How does it happen?
This condition may arise because of the friction between the toenail and the running shoes or constant downward pressure on the toe. In case if the shoe is tighter than normal, it can damage the toenail. If on the other hand, the shoe is very loose, it can result in similar condition due to heavy pressure on the nail. Tennis toe can also arise in a situation, if the toe constantly bangs the shoe from inside. Extreme hot weather may also result in toe swelling. Finally, one may encounter tennis toe if a blow is faced on the toe. Irrespective of the cause, the blood clots inside the nail resulting in swelling and pain. Too much damage might result in falling off of the toenail altogether.

Treatment plan:
1. If the tennis toe is minor, the injury resolves all by itself
2. The toenail should be clipped together to ensure that it does not result in any friction with the shoe.
3. During the injury, it is advised that a person wears bigger size shoes with wider toe space so that it does not result in any further irritation.
4. If the toenail is torn, make sure to tap it up so that adequate protection is there from outside forces.
5. In case the injury is serious a doctor might have to intervene and drain the blood with a surgical instrument.
6. Another medical solution is to remove the toenail surgically, drain the blood and tape it up for a good one week until new nail formation takes place.

Precautionary measure:
1. Running shoes should be at least half a size bigger than the normal size.
2. Toenails should be regularly trimmed in order to avoid any injury.
3. If a person has a tendency of sweating too much, it makes sense to wear a pair of socks at all times.
4. While running, shoe laces should be tightened to avoid sudden friction between the toe and the shoe resulting into tennis toe.

Tennis Toe - How it Should be Treated?

Nails are an important part of your physiology, although they are mostly used for either utilitarian purposes such as gripping or for beauty purposes such as nail decorations. Nails themselves can go through infections which need not have underlying causes and thus can cause damage to that part of the tissue. One such disorder of the nail is onycholysis.

What is onycholysis?
This is a disorder where the nail on the finger or the toes starts to separate from the skin below. This happens little by little and usually starts at the tip and then progresses backward. The further back it progresses, the more nail tissue it destroys. While the entire nail may not be detached from the nail bed, parts of it may chip off, showing the tissue underneath.

Symptoms of Onycholysis:

Jagged border between the pink flesh of the nail bed and the yellow edge of the nail
Detached nails become opaque, yellow or may turn green in color
Nail may become irregular in shape and size
Bits and chunks of nails can break off easily
Primary Causes for Onycholysis:

Frequent trauma - If you have a profession or work at home where you constantly require tapping away, it might cause minute injuries to build up within the nails and the fingers. Tapping on keyboards is one area where you could get repetitive trauma like this.
Manicure problems - Many salons may aggressively try to clean the underside of the nails and in the process, slowly dislodge the nail form the nail bed and cause onycholysis. This has known to be the case with many people.
Water immersion - If you have work where your nails are immersed in water for long periods of time, this could also affect the development of onycholysis.
Skin diseases - Certain skin conditions can also end up giving onycholysis. Psoriasis and contact dermatitis are other conditions that may lead to onycholysis as a consequence.
Allergy to nail glue - Many makeup artists and customers have complained that certain brands of nail glue can also cause allergies resulting in onycholysis.
Medications - Medications meant for the treatment of other ailments within the body can have the unintended consequences of causing onycholysis.
Treatment:
The underlying problems need to be corrected which may cause onycholysis. Once the underlying problem is corrected, onycholysis usually corrects itself. The nail may take some time to re-grow but will grow back on its own eventually and may take 4 to 6 months to cover the entire affected area again.

Onycholysis - How It Can Affect Your Nails?

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