Broken Toenail from Skate - What to do?

[Ruhnie 1]

Hi all,

Long time lurker here, but I finally have something I need to post. I'm looking for some advice on a nasty situation I have. I purchased a new pair of RBK 9k skates back in December, had them fit and baked in store. They felt great, no pressure points, no pain, etc. After I wore them a few times, everything was good. I had no blisters and no pain afterwards.

After about half a dozen skates or so, something bothersome started happening. My big toe on my left foot would ache a little bit. Then I noticed one night after a game that I had a bruise under the nail, on the side near the nail bed. I assumed there was some kind of protrusion or pressure point inside the toecap area, but I cannot find anything that would cause this.

I have no other wearable skates so I've continued to wear these for the last 4 months. Unfortunately my nail hasn't appreciated it. As I continued to skate, I saw a white/clear area form under the nail. It was separating from the toe. Finally last week, the nail cracked along the bottom edge of the separation across about 3/4 of the nail. It is about halfway off on 2/3 of the toe, with the remaining 1/3 bloody and angry.

So first question - how do I protect my toe while it grows out and falls off? I have no desire to stop skating, that's crazy talk.

Next, I obviously have a skate issue. Is it too small? I stopped tightening the laces almost completely about a month ago to no avail. I am thinking of just going up a half size for that one foot. Should I bother risking another RBK boot? Can you custom order just one skate anywhere?

I really appreciate any tips or anything on this. I am at a complete loss as to what to do next. Thanks!

[nickerjones 8]

Hey I use these

http://www.feetrelief.com/feetrelief/gel_toe_cap.html

My feet bother me especially my big toes when I skate so I found these .... They are great. The only bad part is you have to use clear tape to tape them to your toes or they will move.

However my big problem is when i skate it puts pressure on my big toes and just kills them . These take away the pain completely and have worked really well for me . I got my first pair of them in February and skate 2-3 times a week and they are still in great condition. Just a lil sticky on the outside due to taping them on.

I hope these work for ya !!!

[shoeshine boy 242]

I had a similar nail problem on my little toe after a disagreement with a bag I'd left on the floor. basically it bent the nail back so far that only the left side was attached. I couldn't remove it myself and didn't want to go to a podiatrist. basically I just keep it covered with a band-aid until the nail fell off. took about 6 weeks.

to protect your toes after the nail falls off you might consider some of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Athletic-socks-Feelm...s/dp/B000I9TYZK

my gf (who also plays) started wearing them recently and she LOVES them.

[Andoy 5]

Same thing happened to me but I was playing soccer. A lace broke mid game so my foot was sliding in the shoe. At the end of the game my toe was sore and it bled underneath.

it doesn't sound like your skate is too tight if it felt good initially. I'll say that because your skates have broken in, there's a bit more room in there and that's making your slide and rub the toe cap. Try giving your skates a few more pumps to really lock that heel down to prevent your foot from moving.

[Ruhnie 1]

You guys are awesome, thanks for the replies. I think I may be ordering some of those gel caps, looks perfect. Based on some responses I got from this on another board and here, I think the consensus is I may have made things worse by keeping the skate loose. It's too late to stop it now, but I guess once the nail starts growing back I can see if tightening the skate prevents this from happening again.

[Sghockey21 1]

I would suggest trying other skate brands. I've used RBKs before and their toecaps are really narrow. Maybe be you can try Eastons or Supremes/Flexlites?

I've broken my toenail in old CCMs too. Took almost a whole year for the nail to fall out and regrow back to normal again. In the meanwhile, probably just keep it covered and cut whatever part of the nail you can.

[Andoy 5]

I would suggest trying other skate brands. I've used RBKs before and their toecaps are really narrow. Maybe be you can try Eastons or Supremes/Flexlites?

Eastons have the narrow/short toecaps so I don't recommend going to them if you must get new skates. If it's a size issue, you can get your skates stretched to give you more room. I believe it's just a matter of getting securing your left heel. Try leaving the laces around your forefoot loose then tightening the last 3 eyelets tight. Hope that helps.

WHen my toenail was growing I skated normally. I just made sure my socks are fresh every time.

[Lee-Bro 1]

Bumping an old topic.

I lost a toenail in its entirety tonight on my right big toe. I pretty much killed it a couple months ago while officiating a roller derby tournament. No blood, no soreness,no pain (we'll see about all that tomorrow at drop-in). It just decided to finally fall off like an autumn leaf -sans the colors.

Question is: Do I need to do anything to protect my toe over the next couple months as the nail grows back in?

*edited for grammatical errors.

[Chadd 916]

I've had similar things happen to my toes and never had any issues. It can be somewhat uncomfortable and you have to be careful to avoid ingrown nails as they come back. About once every 6-8 weeks I have to get out some small scissors and needlenose pliers to do some home surgery when the nails grow too far into the skin. Make sure you keep your toe as clean as possible, same for your skates. If you really want, you can put some clear nail polish/builder on it once you get a thin layer of nail back. I did that when I lost a thumb nail last year and it helped prevent excess pain.

[Davetronz 109]

Hey I use these

http://www.feetrelie...el_toe_cap.html

My feet bother me especially my big toes when I skate so I found these .... They are great. The only bad part is you have to use clear tape to tape them to your toes or they will move.

However my big problem is when i skate it puts pressure on my big toes and just kills them . These take away the pain completely and have worked really well for me . I got my first pair of them in February and skate 2-3 times a week and they are still in great condition. Just a lil sticky on the outside due to taping them on.

I hope these work for ya !!!

I use gel toe caps for the same kind of problem too, just a different brand, from Pro-Tec Athletics.

http://www.pro-tecathletics.com/56980/585677/Foot/Toe-Caps-Toe-Protectors.html

I've never had the problem of the toe cap falling off, in fact, they're on there quite tightly.

I sprinkle the inside of them with a bit of baby powder to keep them dry inside. Maybe try that. Perhaps sweat is making them slide off.

I rinse them off with water and dish soap after each use, and I've been using the same pair since last season, and they're just starting to get a few small holes.

Without finding them, I probably would have had to stop playing due to the pain I was getting in the sides of my big toes.

[flyers10 57]

I had an issue this spring. Nail became ingrown and painful to skate. Had nail removed by a podiatrist. I used the gelcaps Davetronz referenced and they worked well to cushion the toe while healing. Once the skin heals over I didn't need to wear them anymore. Just watch the nail growth for any issues like Chadd mentioned.