A Survey Study on Causes, Treatment and Prevention of Onychocryptosis

Abstract

Introduction: An ingrown toenail, also called as onychocryptosis, is one of the most common disorders of the toe. It is described as the extension of the side of the nail inside the nail bed which causes bleeding, sharp pain and possible infection can occur. The main causes of this condition are any injury to the nail, bacterial infection of the nail bed or wearing tight fitting shoes on a daily basis. The aim of this research is to check the status of ingrown toenails in an area. Materials and Method: 26 people ranging from the age 12 to 60 who have had ingrown toenail in the past or had ingrown toenail during the time of data collection were included. Their preferred type of footwear, occupation, treatment taken, places visited often before the condition developed were recorded and the cause of their disorder was deduced. Based on these data, the methods to prevent ingrown toenails were deduced. Result: Teenagers are more prone to ingrown toenails than any other age groups. Stage 1 was the most common type of ingrown toenail. Out of the people who had ingrown toenails, most of them wore poorly fitting shoes. Trauma to the nail was the most common cause of ingrown toenail. Conservative Therapy was the most common type of treatment for ingrown toenails. Conclusion: Ingrown toenail is one of the most common nail disorders. Since teenagers are the most agile group, they are more prone to the disease. This disease can be easily avoided by maintaining the hygiene of the feet and by wearing proper fitting shoes.