Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffIngrown toenails result when the nail grows into the flesh of your toe, often the big toe. Common causes include:
- Wearing shoes that crowd your toenails
- Cutting your toenails too short or not straight across
- Injury to your toenail
- Unusually curved toenails
References
- Ingrown toenail. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00154. Accessed Dec. 31, 2010.
- Foot care. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/foot-care.html?print=t. Accessed Jan. 10, 2011.
- Melio FR. Soft tissue problems of the foot. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y. The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6393319&searchStr=nails%2c+ingrown. Accessed Jan. 10, 2011.
- Heidelbaugh JJ, et al. Management of the ingrown toenail. American Family Physician. 2009;79:303.


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