What is the reason for swelling and pain in the big toe

I don’t have gout, but my big toe is swollen and painful. What’s going on? Many patients go to the hospital in time after this situation occurs. The doctor knew it was paronychia at first glance. Because paronychia causes the toenail to pierce into the flesh, swelling and pain will occur. Although paronychia seems to be a minor illness, it can also affect our daily walking, so it still needs to be treated in a timely manner.

Paronychia is a very common disease, mostly due to the following 3 reasons:

1. Cutting nails too deep or too low, and wearing narrow shoes that put pressure on the toes. .

2. Skin thorns refer to small epidermal flakes that grow on the skin due to dryness and cracking.

3. Damage to surrounding tissues. Trauma and abrasions cause inflammation of surrounding tissues.

Nails are equivalent to the stratum corneum of the skin, but unlike the stratum corneum, nails are made up of hard keratin instead of living cells, and there are no nerves. This is why we don’t feel pain when cutting our nails. Nails are formed by nail matrix cells and grow on the nail bed along the edge of the nail bed toward the tip of the nail.

This causes the nails to grow into the flesh, making it difficult to recover after paronychia occurs. Because foot problems are often ignored, over time they can lead to increasingly serious consequences, causing unnecessary trouble in life.

According to the narration, everyone also learned some causes of paronychia. Next, they can carry out some preventive work in advance according to the specific situation to prevent problems before they occur.

1. Don't wear shoes that are too tight: Wearing shoes that are too tight will cause the toes to swell and be squeezed for a long time, causing compression of the nail edge and even penetration of the tissue next to the nail groove, allowing bacteria to invade the wound and cause nail groove infection; the nail bed tissue will abnormally proliferate in the nail groove, gradually forming granulomas that will not heal for a long time, leading to paronychia.

2. Keep the inside of your shoes dry and clean: In daily life, if any foreign object enters your shoes, pour it out in time to prevent the foreign object from damaging the edge of the toenail and causing nail inflammation; if your shoes get wet, change your shoes and socks as soon as possible to keep your skin dry.

3. Foot care should be performed after strenuous foot exercise: soak your feet in warm water or warm salt water, change into comfortable shoes and socks, etc. after walking or running for a long time. These measures can improve blood circulation in the feet and relieve symptoms of foot congestion.

4. Correct way to cut toenails: Cut toenails frequently and cut them into an arc shape. Do not leave toenails tips on both sides of the nail groove. Do not cut the nail groove casually. If you find that the toes are squeezed against each other, use appropriate amount of sterilized cotton or soft objects to separate the toes to allow the toes to develop normally and prevent the toenails from being pressed into the nail groove. Do not remove hangnails at will. Once hangnails appear, cut them off with scissors and avoid removing them forcefully.

5. Do not cut the toenails too short: If there are minor wounds, apply iodine tincture and then bandage with sterile gauze to avoid infection. If paronychia is discovered, it should be treated promptly and handled correctly under the guidance of a doctor. Do not apply any medication without permission.