Footwear indeed is one of the essential parts of your daily outfit. We wear different types of shoes in our daily life. Every type of shoe is designed to serve a specific purpose.
For instance, when you talk about steel toe shoes, they are built to ensure adequate safety in the workplace. That said, we need to choose our steel-toe boots very carefully. Because it may cause problems in your feet if you choose the wrong product.
One of the common problems in our feet is ingrown toe nails. There are many reasons behind this. But, one question always comes to your mind “do steel toe boots cause ingrown toe nails?” I will give you the answer in this article.
What are Ingrown Toe Nails?
Ingrown toe nail is one of the common problems many people are facing these days. It occurs when your toe nail or part of it enters the skin around. Of course, it is painful and full of complete discomfort. It may cause serious infections sometimes.
If your toe nails are big, there are more chances to get affected. Sometimes, even small toe nails can also be affected by this issue. The pain of an ingrown toe nail is often confused with the pain of walking in a closed boot. When infection occurs, you will experience terrible pain.
Causes of Ingrown Toe Nails
Many causes are responsible for ingrown toe nails. If you don’t cut or trim toe nails properly, nail spicules may remain in their bed. Now, when the nails start to grow, it penetrates the skin around and causes infection.
If you wear unfit footwear regularly, chances are your toe nail will grow downward which is not expected at all. Besides, ingrown toe nails can be occurred due to genetic disposition. If you put a lot of pressure on your feet, it may also cause ingrown toe nails.
Our foot is a perfect place for bacteria as it has great warmth and moisture. The skin will be cut open by the pressure of nails. If bacteria enter the skin, it will cause a severe infection.
If you put on boots that are not a well fit for your feet, it may cause this disease. If your feet are exposed to excessive sweating or your toe nails are infected by fungus, you may end up having ingrown toe nails.
Improper foot care along with trauma on your feet are also responsible for this phenomenon. If you are suffering from obesity, diabetes, or arthritis, you should be more careful about your feet. Besides, some kinds of sports like tennis, basketball, or soccer can also cause ingrown toe nails.
Do Steel Toe Boots Cause Ingrown Toe Nails
If you work in some specific fields like construction or asphalt paving, you should wear safety shoes. There is no denying the fact that steel toe boots are specially designed to ensure your maximum safety.
Now, the question is do steel toe shoes can crate ingrown toe nails? My answer is it depends on some factors. The answer could be a big Yes or it could be no. If your shoes fit properly to your feet, in most cases, you won’t face any issues.
However, if steel toe boots don’t fit perfectly to your feet, sometimes, it can cause ingrown toe nails. So, you should check your boots with utmost care.
Symptoms of Ingrown Toe Nails
Ingrown toe nails are a common disease among people who don’t take care of their feet much. There are common symptoms of this disease which are mentioned below.
- There will be redness in the toe skin
- The patient will get a terrible pain
- There will be an intense level of swelling
- Pus may form around the nail
- Body temperature will rise
Treatment of this Disease
If you are affected with ingrown toe nails, you need to do proper treatment. If you see any infection, you must consult with the local doctor. He may give you antibiotics. If your condition is severe, you should go to a podiatrist. Professional podiatrists come with the ability to treat it either in a conservative way or by doing surgery.
However, there are some primary treatments that you can do. For instance, if you soak your feet in a solution of water and Epson salt, you may get some relief. However, when it comes to getting a permanent solution, you need to remove the ingrown nail section completely.
Preventive Measures
You can take some preventive measures which will protect you from ingrown toe nails. Explore those measures below-
- You need to cut toe nails regularly. When doing so, make sure to cut them straight. Don’t go for an across nail cut ever.
- You should make sure that there are average lengths of nails when performing the trimming.
- Your shoes should fit your feet properly. Sometimes, you may need to wear steel-toe boots if you need to work in a hazardous situation. Avoid any steel toe boots if it is not a good fit for your feet.
- You should perform a good level of foot care regularly.
Wrapping Up!
There is no denying the fact that “Ingrown Toe Nails” is a painful situation. The pain is terrible. So, it is better to take some measures which will prevent the formation of ingrown toe nails. So, do steel toe boots cause ingrown toe nails? The answer is no if your boots fit perfectly to your feet.
When you work in a hazardous environment, wearing steel-toe boots will give your feet adequate safety. When you do so, make sure that the boots fit properly to your feet. I wish you a safe work-life always.
