I see hits on this daily, so I thought I’d give an update because it seems to matter to some folks out there. So here’s what happened with my cracked toe nail:
I cleaned the wound thoroughly when I got home and wrapped the affected toe in cotton gauze with breathable cotton tape for a couple of days so it wouldn’t get caught in socks or the bed linen. To my surprise, my toe tip didn’t turn black, but rather it healed up such that it looked like a normal toe nail with a fracture line in it. It was strong enough for me to trim after a couple of days, so I did to smooth out the edge of the nail.
Finally, yesterday, the toe nail grew out long enough for some of the cracked part to fall off. It didn’t fall off neatly, but I did my best to smooth the edge of nail so it wouldn’t get caught in socks or bed linen. The toe nail is growing back nicely and I hope in the next few weeks the fractured part will completely grow out and my toe will look as good as new.
So here’s what I learned with regards to taking care of cracked toe-nails (and please remember that I’m not a doctor or a toe expert, so If your toe is really messed up, go see a doctor.):
1. Clean and disinfect the wound as soon as possible
2. If possible, leave the nail alone and let it grow out on its own
3. Covering the toe with cotton gauze and breathable cotton tape is comfortable and protective. Also to keep your toe from becoming damp with sweat, go bare foot or wear an open toed shoe.
4. After the tenderness goes away, it’s best to wear open toed shoes so your toe can “breathe” and bacteria and nastiness won’t build up around the wounded toe. A damp toe is a sad toe ;p.
5. Don’t stress over the appearance of your toe. Everyone knows you stubbed it and you won’t be judged based on a stubbed toe.
More Rambling 