The curious mystery of the black and blue toenail...Zimmermann Podiatry

"My toenail is black and blue but I don't remember bumping it!"

As a podiatrist, the curious mystery of the black and blue toenail is in nearly daily mystery to solve. Surprisingly, most black and blue toenails do not show up with an obvious history of trauma such as dropping a bowling ball on or smashing them into the bedpost. Usually a black and blue toenail appears suddenly and is not painful and anyway. Primarily the big toe is affected, for just as Seinfeld declared, the big toe is the king of the toes- and therefore gets all of the adulation and abuse.

If you or someone you know may be suffering from a curiously black and blue toenail with no known history of trauma, the first thing to look for is the size and fitting of your shoes. Over 90% of the time shoes that are too small for the culprit for causing the black and blue toenail, which is nothing more than a bruise underneath the toenail. Runners and athletes frequently get black and blue toenails even though their shoes may fit properly because of the repetitive abuse that their toes get from running or sporting activities.

Sometimes a black and blue toenail is not a simple bruise or an unsightly fungal infection of the toenail, instead he can be a dangerous skin lesion such as malignant melanoma. For suspicious skin lesions like this a biopsy must be taken.

So, if you have a black and blue toenail, don't feel blue- go see a podiatrist!

Zimmermann Podiatry
Erik Zimmermann, DPM
923 West Dixie Ave., Suite B
Leesburg, Florida 34748
(352)435-7849
www.drzpodiatry.com