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Toenails Useless, but They Can Cause Plenty of Problems, Podiatrist Says

If it weren’t for shoes, toenails would be totally useless. But your shoes give the hard, horny, lifeless growths something to do--protect your sensitive toe-tops from constantly rubbing against your shoe-tops. Aesthetically speaking, however, your toenails are available for painting and for use as decorations for your feet.

But in terms of analyzing toenail potential, that is about all those claw-like growths are good for, according to Lefroy Virgil, president of the British Columbia Podiatry Assn... They don’t even protect you from stubbing your toe. While short toenails don’t stick out in front of the toe like a protective bumper, long toenails are even worse, since any impact…

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Articles of Interest

Readers reply: what is the evolutionary purpose of toenails?

Toe nails function as shock absorbers for your toes. Consider the force put on the bottom surfaces of your toes as you are running. That force has to go somewhere - and it travels upward.

This Is the Best Shape for Your Toenails, According to a Podiatrist

“It’s important to avoid cutting your toenails round or angled to prevent the formation of ingrown nails,” says Cunha. “Once the nails are cut flat and straight across, the edges on either side can be filed down so that the corners are less pointy and slightly beveled to follow the shape of the toe.”

Toenail, hair samples hold clues to diseases

Toenail clippings from over 100,000 people are among the 3.5 million samples of blood, plasma, urine, hair, and other specimens donated by participants in the nearly 40-year-old Nurses’ Health Study and several other large cohort studies that continue to provide new clues about diseases to scientists today. The toenails are housed in the BWH/Harvard Cohorts Biorepository, jointly run by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public and the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Toenails and Time

With age, there is a rapid decrease in the growth rate for both toenails and fingernails, said Dr. Richard K. Scher, head of the nail section at Weill Cornell Medical College. As a result, both kinds of nail thicken, because of the piling up of nail cells, called onychocytes. Fingernails do not thicken as much, however, because the decrease in their rate of growth is much smaller. And fingernails tend to be filed and buffed much more, which thins them.

Toenails: The Mirror to Your Health

Toenails can reflect disease processes such as heart, kidney and blood disorders as well as a type of cancer called melanoma.

Yes, Running Can Turn Your Toenails Black. Here’s How to Deal

In most cases, black toenails from running are not something to worry about, and for some people, it just comes with the miles (some runners even consider it a badge of honor to get their first one), but they can be annoying and pretty darn unsightly when flip-flop season rolls around. Here’s everything you need to know about black toenails in runners.

Ask Well: Ugly Toenails

Ugly toenails are not the exclusive purview of the elderly, but “as you get older, you are more prone to picking up a nail fungus and to having less circulation in your toes, which can affect the way nails grow,” said Dr. Cary Zinkin, a spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Curious Kids: why do we have fingernails and toenails?

Imagine for a moment that humans didn’t have nails. First, a lot of nail salons would go out of business, and we couldn’t enjoy painting our nails lots of different colours. But more importantly, having a lump of soft skin at the end of our fingers would make it harder to hold things and control our grip on them. The ends of our fingers and toes have changed to match our changed lives. So next time you’re at the zoo, look at the hands of gibbons, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, and you’ll see they have nails just like yours. Think about all the amazing things we primates can do with nails.

How To Treat (And Prevent) Ingrown Toenails

Anyone can get them. Here's how to get rid of one.

It's Costing A Lot Of Money To Make Those Toenails Fungus-Free

The bills can rack up fast when trying to cure toenail fungus, and it's not always easy to know which drug to use. Costs can range from over $2,000 for treating one nail to just $10 for a pill that treats all 10 toes but could have bad side effects. Then there are the costly lab tests to confirm that the curling yellow rot chewing through a toenail is in fact mold.

Physics Explains Ingrown Toenails

Plus, a scientifically accurate way to trim your nails.

Sometimes, Your Nails Can Bite You Back

But many women do not have to wait years to discover untoward consequences of this recent cosmetic rage. They are experiencing allergic reactions to the chemicals in nail products, separation of the nails from their fleshy beds and a variety of other problems.

Tech In Training: You Know You’re Crazy When the Toenails Go

The ultrarunner's solution to a nagging problem.

What Your Body Is Telling You

Many of the same signs occur in toenails. But the feet are critical for other reasons. "Feet tell you a huge amount about the health of the circulation," says Dr. Denman, the Duke nursing instructor. "The first place that vascular disease can show up is where the blood vessels are the smallest and the farthest away from the heart."

Why Do Humans Have Fingernails And Toenails?

The tops of our toes are susceptible to injuries. The nail layer on the toe serves as a protective cap for the toe to prevent injuries and infections. The hard covering of toenails protects and fortifies the dense network of blood vessels, muscles, and flesh beneath them. Toenails also exert counter pressure on our toes that help us with balance while walking and improves our spatial awareness. People who have lost toenails have reported having problems with their gait.