Subungual hematoma is when a blood clumps form on the nail floorplate. This occurs when some format of pressure is applied to the nail and finger.
As experienced by people who have trapped their fingers in a car door, when too much blood has accumulated beneath the nail, they tend to die and fall off. After a couple of months, the nail regrows back to normal.
Similarly blood can accumulate between the nail during a jog. This is also subungual hematoma. During long running, pressure is applied to the toes at each step. Although it’s not as much pressure as trapping your fingers in a car door, pressure applied for a prolonged time can result in bleeding.
If the condition is light and causes no pain, leave the nail to regrow. However, if there is a lot of pain, it’s best to drain the clotted blood by creating a sanitised hole in the nail with a needle. Pressure will be applied to the nail floor plate when creating the hole. Pain can be felt when applying this pressure, especially if the region has internal bleeding. The procedure is best done with medical specialist using local anaesthetics.
The nail may also undergo a colour change. If this causes any pain, please visit a medical specialist. If the nail is left alone even though it causes no pain, the nail may fall off after a period of days to months. After a couple of months, the nail regrows back to normal.
Prevention
There are methods to prevent the risk of subungual hematoma during long running.
First, choose shoes which don’t apply needless pressure onto the toes. It’s basics to have shoes which fit your feet for long-distance runs. Although it’s common to worry about the heels and sole of the foot, it’s recommended to worry more about the comfort of your toes.
furthermore, it’s recommended to apply support tape to the toes. This is effective by supporting the tip of the toes. Applying Vaseline is also known to help.
One word
If you have subungual hematoma developing in the feet, please avoid any running. Even though the condition is light, any further running may cause the condition to become more severe.
