A new toenail may not fully regrow for about 6 months. Unless the area of bleeding is very small, an affected nail will usually fall off on its own after several weeks because the pooled blood has separated it from its bed.Ī new fingernail can regrow in as little as 8 weeks. What Happens During Subungual Hematoma Recovery? In this case, your doctor may need to remove the entire nail and use stitches to repair the nail bed. If you have bleeding under a large area of the nail surface, the nail bed may be injured. The main complication associated with decompression is a small risk of infection in the residual hematoma. In some cases, your doctor may recommend you use a splint for as long as 3 days until the tenderness subsides. You will need to keep the finger or toe bandaged and elevated - and may also need to use cold compresses - during the first 12 hours after decompression. The doctor uses a needle to make a hole in the nail.Īfter the procedure, your doctor will bandage your nail. The heated tip of the wire is cooled by contact with the hematoma, which prevents injury to the nail bed. The doctor uses a heated wire (electrocautery device) or carbon laser to burn a hole or holes. Your doctor may numb the affected finger or toe with a nerve block and use one of the following decompression methods:Ĭautery. To relieve it, your doctor may perform decompression, also called trephination, which allows the underlying blood to drain, relieving pressure and pain to the area. Ice and elevate the area to reduce swelling, and take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories like aspirin, Advil, or Motrin for minor pain.īut the pressure generated by pooled blood under the nail can be extremely painful. How Is Bleeding Under the Nail Treated?Ī small subungual hematoma may not need medical treatment. You’ll probably also have an X-ray taken to see if you have a bone fracture or other injury.

Signs of infection develop, such as pus, redness, or heat around the nail, or a red streak extends from the wound.

More than a quarter of the nail is discolored or there is continuing, intense pain.

Seek medical attention from your doctor right away or go to an emergency room if: If you had a severe blow to a finger or toe, you may have broken bones or serious damage to the nail bed and/or surrounding tissues.

Tenderness and swelling of the tip of the affected finger or toe.A dark-colored discoloration (red, maroon, or purple-black) under all or part of the affected nail.It happens because of the pressure of blood collecting between the nail and the nail bed. The most common symptom is severe, throbbing pain.

If you have a darkened area under a nail and haven’t had an injury, see your doctor to rule out other possible causes. Drop a heavy object such as a dumbbell on your toe.Hit your finger with a heavy object such as a hammer.Slam your finger in a car door or house door.Unless you also have broken bones or damage to the nail bed and/or surrounding tissues, this injury usually isn’t worrisome. It can cause symptoms such as intense pain and throbbing as blood collects under the nail. It usually happens if the nail gets crushed in an injury. Nail abnormalities.Your doctor may call it a “ subungual hematoma” if you have bleeding under a fingernail or toenail. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus. Proposal for new classification and practical use of diuretics according to their effects on the serum chloride concentration: rationale based on the “chloride theory”. Carcinoid crisis: a misunderstood and unrecognized oncological emergency. Signs and symptoms to determine if a patient presenting in primary care or hospital outpatient settings has COVID-19. Management of adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Purple nails