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Hi all! So I’ve had this ongoing issue on both of my big toes since Nov 2021 (going on 8 months). Both nails stopped growing, obvious signs of fungus. My left toe was the bad one at first, swollen at the base of the nail, I went to the podiatrist, gave me an antibiotic, he said I needed to clear up the swelling before we addressed the fungus. Antibiotic didn’t work, he then gave me an oral steroid and that did the trick. The swelling completely deflated and the nail began to grow.
As soon as the left toe began to heal, the right toe began to get irritated and swollen. Nail has never began growing, if anything it seems like it’s shrinking into the nail bed. I went back to the podiatrist and he once again gave me the steroid. I just finished it last week and it didn’t work. The pic is how it looks today, after the steroid.
Also have to mention this is after 3 days at a water park with my son so I think that is what irritated it.
It’s not super painful so I plan on just giving it a bit more time but my biggest issue is I’ve been ‘resting’ it for like 3 months and not working out or running. I really want to get back to working out.
Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any thoughts or recommendations? I could go back to the podiatrist (for maybe the 6th time now?) but it costs like $100 every time I go and I feel like we are just running around in circles.
Thanks in advance for any advise!
When a nail stops growing, it definitely points towards retronychia. I had it. A high potency topical steroid (clobetasol) worked but it took a long time. I used it for 6 weeks and my nail started growing at week 8. You don’t have a cuticle and you have swelling, esp at the proximal fold, which also leads me to think it’s retronychia. Try to avoid a toenail removal. It will solve the problem but your toenail could grow back weird.
Podiatrists are terrible at diagnosing retronychia. The 6th doctor I saw was a dermatologist who specializes in nails and they finally diagnosed it.
Side note:
As a result of my retronychia, I now only wear barefoot/minimalist shoes. Nearly all modern shoes deform our feet and toes. I used to think tennis shoes like Nike were fine for my feet because they weren’t high heels but they’re terrible. Modern shoes are not shaped like feet. I get a lot of shoe reviews and info from anyasreviews on Instagram and her blog.
[tennis shoes](https://images.app.goo.gl/KRfyv9hxbyrpz9hL6)
[feet](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSi9hLWxTvtn-xsBCkC--e6XcRDl5KRvdbXrQ&usqp=CAU)
Also wanted to share what my left toe that is on the mend looks like. A few months ago it looked almost identical to my right toe, now the new nail is growing in and pushing the old nail out.
[healing toe](https://ibb.co/xFHCZfj)
I don’t wear tight shoes, and only wear tennis shoes when I do wear shoes (don’t ever have to wear dress shoes or flats anymore). I do think that this started with some kind of odd trauma back in November when both toes started this out of no where, but I have no idea how it happened.
In my other toe that is now healing, the new nail is growing in behind the old nail. Podiatrist said it looks great and just let it grown in and the old nail will eventually fall off. I’m hoping the same happens here. Thanks for your thoughts!!
a lot of times it‘s just minor, so one can‘t remember one simple event, that could have caused this. but with retronychia a new nail is usually underneath this odd one and the problem does go away after toenail avulsion, since the body doesn‘t push the old one off and it gets ingrown at the base - maybe look into some research articles about this and talk to an experienced podiatrist. good luck!
Thank you for the replies, this has been eye opening. I definitely think it is retronychia and am annoyed that my doc didn’t identify it sooner. Based on my minimal research, there isn’t that much info out about it.
Question: can I workout/run, or will it irritate it more? Can I make it worse by working out or will it not matter? I reallly want to get back into my routine.
looks like retronychia tbh. would also match up with the swelling, discoloration and lack of growth. steroids do help in somewhat light cases. usually the nail is removed in bad cases to let the new nail grow in. usually this is caused by trauma - do you wear tight shoes?
They probably want to make sure the infection is controlled before performing a nail removal. Ask them to be more explicit about what the plan of treatment is. Keep following up with your doctor or see someone else for a second or even third opinion. [Runners toe](https://www.healthline.com/health/running/runners-toenail#outlook) is a hassle. Hope it's better soon.
Yes!!! The steroid cream did the trick!! It has literally taken a year for it to grow back but my nail is finally back to normal. I still really don’t know the cause so I’m afraid to get a pedicure or do anything with it now though!
How swollen was your toe at one point? Mine is red and painful to touch and gets sore after walking for a while. I’m wondering if it’s too late for steroid cream to fix my issue? Podiatrist wants to remove my toenail completely and I’m hoping to solve this otherwise.
Thanks for your post. Please visit our [wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/NailFungus/wiki/index) for home remedy advice based on the personal experiences of the members of this sub. If you are experiencing pain, redness or swelling please see a doctor. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NailFungus) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi all! So I’ve had this ongoing issue on both of my big toes since Nov 2021 (going on 8 months). Both nails stopped growing, obvious signs of fungus. My left toe was the bad one at first, swollen at the base of the nail, I went to the podiatrist, gave me an antibiotic, he said I needed to clear up the swelling before we addressed the fungus. Antibiotic didn’t work, he then gave me an oral steroid and that did the trick. The swelling completely deflated and the nail began to grow. As soon as the left toe began to heal, the right toe began to get irritated and swollen. Nail has never began growing, if anything it seems like it’s shrinking into the nail bed. I went back to the podiatrist and he once again gave me the steroid. I just finished it last week and it didn’t work. The pic is how it looks today, after the steroid. Also have to mention this is after 3 days at a water park with my son so I think that is what irritated it. It’s not super painful so I plan on just giving it a bit more time but my biggest issue is I’ve been ‘resting’ it for like 3 months and not working out or running. I really want to get back to working out. Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any thoughts or recommendations? I could go back to the podiatrist (for maybe the 6th time now?) but it costs like $100 every time I go and I feel like we are just running around in circles. Thanks in advance for any advise!
When a nail stops growing, it definitely points towards retronychia. I had it. A high potency topical steroid (clobetasol) worked but it took a long time. I used it for 6 weeks and my nail started growing at week 8. You don’t have a cuticle and you have swelling, esp at the proximal fold, which also leads me to think it’s retronychia. Try to avoid a toenail removal. It will solve the problem but your toenail could grow back weird. Podiatrists are terrible at diagnosing retronychia. The 6th doctor I saw was a dermatologist who specializes in nails and they finally diagnosed it.
Side note: As a result of my retronychia, I now only wear barefoot/minimalist shoes. Nearly all modern shoes deform our feet and toes. I used to think tennis shoes like Nike were fine for my feet because they weren’t high heels but they’re terrible. Modern shoes are not shaped like feet. I get a lot of shoe reviews and info from anyasreviews on Instagram and her blog. [tennis shoes](https://images.app.goo.gl/KRfyv9hxbyrpz9hL6) [feet](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSi9hLWxTvtn-xsBCkC--e6XcRDl5KRvdbXrQ&usqp=CAU)
Also wanted to share what my left toe that is on the mend looks like. A few months ago it looked almost identical to my right toe, now the new nail is growing in and pushing the old nail out. [healing toe](https://ibb.co/xFHCZfj)
I don’t wear tight shoes, and only wear tennis shoes when I do wear shoes (don’t ever have to wear dress shoes or flats anymore). I do think that this started with some kind of odd trauma back in November when both toes started this out of no where, but I have no idea how it happened. In my other toe that is now healing, the new nail is growing in behind the old nail. Podiatrist said it looks great and just let it grown in and the old nail will eventually fall off. I’m hoping the same happens here. Thanks for your thoughts!!
a lot of times it‘s just minor, so one can‘t remember one simple event, that could have caused this. but with retronychia a new nail is usually underneath this odd one and the problem does go away after toenail avulsion, since the body doesn‘t push the old one off and it gets ingrown at the base - maybe look into some research articles about this and talk to an experienced podiatrist. good luck!
Thank you for the replies, this has been eye opening. I definitely think it is retronychia and am annoyed that my doc didn’t identify it sooner. Based on my minimal research, there isn’t that much info out about it. Question: can I workout/run, or will it irritate it more? Can I make it worse by working out or will it not matter? I reallly want to get back into my routine.
i would try working out barefoot, the movement in shoes could really make it worse, since it looks quite swollen
looks like retronychia tbh. would also match up with the swelling, discoloration and lack of growth. steroids do help in somewhat light cases. usually the nail is removed in bad cases to let the new nail grow in. usually this is caused by trauma - do you wear tight shoes?
Exactly like my case, abx didn't work, steroids did nothing. I'm getting my test results back next week and will probably be put on oral anti fungals.
Let me know how it goes!!
did you get topical steroids/pills/shots?
They probably want to make sure the infection is controlled before performing a nail removal. Ask them to be more explicit about what the plan of treatment is. Keep following up with your doctor or see someone else for a second or even third opinion. [Runners toe](https://www.healthline.com/health/running/runners-toenail#outlook) is a hassle. Hope it's better soon.
Did you ever get this problem fixed??
Yes!!! The steroid cream did the trick!! It has literally taken a year for it to grow back but my nail is finally back to normal. I still really don’t know the cause so I’m afraid to get a pedicure or do anything with it now though!
I think I might have this (if you can take a look at my recent posts) can you let me know if the nail appearance started at the proximal fold??
How swollen was your toe at one point? Mine is red and painful to touch and gets sore after walking for a while. I’m wondering if it’s too late for steroid cream to fix my issue? Podiatrist wants to remove my toenail completely and I’m hoping to solve this otherwise.