Ingrown nail treatment with braces
- Description of the treatment
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Derm-Al Podiatry offers ingrown toenail treatment with orthonyx braces: plastic BS Quick or metal Ortogrip clamps, and Arkada’s cube. Proper podiatric treatment helps avoid the need for surgical intervention.
Ingrown toenail is a frequent podiatric condition. Ingrowing toenails may be genetic, but most often the condition is caused by mechanic factors, such as: improper cutting of the toenails, wearing too tight shoes, recurrent injuries, e.g. due to sport activity, poor hygiene, posture defects, feet deformation, obesity, diabetes, degenerative joint diseases or toenail changes caused by age.
Toenails may grow in on every toe, but the condition is the most typical on the big toe. This condition means that toenail edges grow into the soft tissue on one or both sides of the nail. The first symptoms are swelling, reddening and walking discomfort. At this stage, it is sufficient to cleanse the nails folds and apply a tampon or protective tube to separate the nail from the toe. If, however, nothing is done at this stage of the problem, the condition may lead to inflammation, bleeding, infection, pus or granulation tissue that make walking impossible.
One of the ingrown toenail treatment method is to put on a brace. The purpose of a brace is to redirect the growth of a toenail, relieve the nail bed, remove nail corns, regenerate the nail bed and prevent ingrowing after nail plate surgery. The advantage of braces is that they are non-invasive, may be adjusted to the intensity of the condition and are suitable for all ages (also children). Also, they bring instant relief, may be used repeatedly and do not limit normal activity.
Ingrown nail treatment with plastic braces (BS Quick):
The method involves fixing a plastic brace to the nail plate with adhesive. The brace pulls the sides of the toenail up, relieving nail folds. It is used at an early stage of the condition, even on thin and broking toenails. The brace may be applied to one or both sides of a toenail, as may be needed. The procedure is painless.
Ingrown toenail treatment with metal braces:
Derm-Al Podiatry uses metal braces made of high quality surgical stainless steel wire with appropriate parameters. The braces guarantee effective and safe treatment. The may be used on fragile, braking or hyperkeratotic (thick) nails with inflammation or lymph (combined with dermatologic treatment) and in the case of diabetes or diabetic foot. They may be used both in early and very advanced conditions. Fixing a metal brace is painless. Some pain may be caused by the condition of the patient’s toenails and folds.
How does the procedure work
The procedure is performed using either sterile or disposable tools. The podiatrist first disinfects the patient’s feet and then examines them and interviews the patient. This way, the podiatrist determines the condition of the problematic toenail plate, how deep the toenail grows in, is there any lymph or hyperkeratosis, how thick the toenail is and how long the problem has continued, and whether there were any previous attempts at treating the problem. This information as well as information about the patient’s general condition is necessary for the safety and effectiveness of the treatment. The patient’s condition is recorded in their podiatric file, together with the treatment plan and expected duration of treatment. The podiatrist decides which kind of brace will be the best (plastic or metal) to make sure the treatment is safe and painless for the patient and the effect is immediate and long-lasting. Before the brace is fixed, the nail plate must be processed and the side folds must be cleansed. Then, the brace is fixed in the place where the toenail grows in. A metal brace is activated by adjusting the connecting wire.
The progress of the treatment is monitored by the podiatrists at check-up visits. The brace or connecting wire must be replaced after 4-6 weeks. How long the brace needs to be worn depends on the intensity of the condition, and the success of the therapy depends to a large extent on the patient’s cooperation with the podiatrist and following the instructions.
Duration of the procedure:
Depending on the nail condition, the procedure takes 30-60 minutes and the relief is immediate.
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