Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday foot facts

Week 11

Last Friday's foot fact got me thinking more about nails. I have seen them in many shapes, sizes, thickness, growing in every direction and forms. Even though they seem to just cover the tip of your digits, they're mistreated and shoved in the most uncomfortable positions in many shoes. Even though you're wearing the correct shoe for the correct job, you might still have a problem. Take a runner training for a marathon. Now the amount of stress the nails endure all throughout the training and the marathon itself can lead to losing toenails even though the shoe is the right one for the job.



Now this doesn't just happen to runners but also to anyone who is wearing a shoe where the toebox is too narrow and not deep enough to accommodate the toes properly. Even a shoe that is a tad too big can create a problem when the foot is sliding back and forth in the shoe, the repeated impact on the nail can lead to it's loss.

How can a nail fall off?  The nail is made of 3 layers, the top part is called the Dorsal nail plate, the middle is called Intermediate nail plate and last but not least, the Ventral nail plate is the part that is attached to your nail bed. When a nail falls of it is usually the top 2 layers that are involved and the bottom layer, the Ventral will still be intact. That would be that thin layer that is left behind when the nail fell off. You nail should grow back even though it might take time since the toenails are the slowest to grow compared to your fingernails and they will grow approximately about 2 inches a year. 

To make sure your toenails don't get punished from too much from exercise or repeated abuse, you might want to make sure to keep them shorter then the tip of your toes, it would be less damaging to your nails. 

If your fallen nail is growing back in an abnormal way, it's more than the nail affected. The matrix of the nail could be damaged and that, dear readers, is for another post.

Hope you've enjoyed this short Friday foot fact. Have a great weekend everyone and don't forget to put your best foot forward!

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