Nail ripped off accidentally, how long until I can run again?

You can still run.

I lose toenails all the time; it's not a big deal.

You won't be able to run until you wipe off and reapply your mascara.

I know about losing toe nails from marathons when they turn black though it's never happened to me. This was bloody and has a good amount of pain right now. I have a 5k tomorrow, I'll take it easy and hopefully be able to run the whole thing.

Slap a bandaid on it. Pad it a bit with some gauze or something. You'll be fine.

My daughter had the nail on her big toe ripped off by a door on Labor Day. There was a significant amount of bleeding when it happened, and she continued to squish out blood for days. We took her to the doctor, who said that the continuing blood loss was no problem (and actually, was necessary). If the discharge from the toe turns yellow, that means there's an infection and antibiotics are needed. To prevent infection, use bandages/gauze like the poster above mentioned, and wash it with a strong soap that you can pick up at the drugstore.

Be careful not to compensate for any limp you may have. Good luck with your races!

You should remove the remaining nail, but you should be able to run without pain. I lost my big toenail after kicking numerous rocks while hiking in tennis shoes. The problem was chronic ingrown toenails when it grew back. I finally had to have a minor procedure to fix it.

bmwclubracer wrote:

Nail ripped off accidentally, how long until I can run again?

Thanks!

5 seconds?

Thanks for the info. Is your daughter a runner and how many days did she take off? Think I'm going to clean and wrap it good and attempt this 5K tomorrow.

I ran a marathon earlier in the year, i forgot to clip my toenails before hand and literally broke off 4 toenails 2 of them being my big toenails that were fully attached prior. Anyhow It didn't cause me to be out anytime, I just removed them the rest of the way and was on my way.

She's not a runner, but she does other sports and is very active. She went to a practice two days after Labor Day and was mostly ok. It will be about pain tolerance for the next few days. It may bother you early in the race, but when everything else starts hurting this pain won't be any worse, so it will seem better in comparison.

Rip off your toe. Your body will be compensating the toe nail by adjusting your form. It’s better to rid your toe so you don’t develop an inefficient limping gait.

Get your mom to help soothe you to sleep tonight. That should help.

The deletion of my posts only makes me want to post more.

M.A.G.A.

S.O.W.P.

D.D.M.P.

Only run if running is not increasing the chance of an infection. If that means to take 2 weeks off while you keep your toe bandaged correctly so be it. There's more races to run and if you aren't a college kid or a professional there is no point in risking your health just to go for a run that will be uncomfortable anyway.

Although i may be overly cautious to finger and toe wounds. I know several people who have lost a finger or toe or been hospitalized for what initially appeared to be a minor wound.

Although I am not doctor I think fingers and toes are more susceptible to infection comparred to other areas on the main part of the body. Perhaps this is due to less circulation?

as long as there isn't a laceration on the nail bed just rip it off and put a bandaid on it.

Really? You're whining about that? Yeah, it hurts but come on cupcake it's time to buck up. Put a band aid over it and then some good athletic training tape over the band aid. You'll be good to go. If that's too much, join the Chess club.

I realize this thread is ancient but I found it 3 weeks ago when this same thing happened to me. My recommendation is you rip off the nail, keep the nail bed coated with neosporin and slap a band aid on it. Change the band aid 3x a day and be sure to rinse out the wound with hydrogen peroxide 1x a day, for two weeks. It will hurt a bunch for the first 3 days. I didn’t want to take a knee on working out but it was super uncomfortable to cover with socks and a shoe so my solution was to wear flip flops and hit the elliptical for a few days. about a week later I was back to running. Hope this helps!

I remember losing a big toenail immediately after a race on a Super Bowl Sunday, and it wasn't until nearly the following Christmas that the nail was back to normal, though there was no significant impact on my running throughout this time.