So why do nails turn black and cause us such concern? Well the simple answer is that the nail bed has had a bleed and the nail plate, which is porous, acts like a sponge and absorbs the blood which then drys and stains the nail a shade of black.  If the nail plate stays intact on the nail bed then the nail colour will stay as it is until new nail pushes the stained nail forward and ultimately is ready to be cut away. In the case of the Hallux (big toe) this could take up to a year.

Causes – well a variety of reasons but mainly trauma to the nail bed. Stubbing the toe against a hard object, in my case a table leg (followed by tears and plenty of bad language!), repetitive impact ie. marathon runners who stub their toes into the front of their running shoes (no simpathy here for marathon runners!), when wearing too tight a shoe of boot, something like a ski boot where the pressure on the forefoot is too great. Having your foot trod on (my wife on the tube, followed by tears and plenty of bad language under her breath!) or having a heavy object of weight drop on the toe and finally in quite a number of cases it can be caused by a sports injury.

All in all quite a unpleasant thing. In some cases the nail will come off quite quickly by itself or it will need to be removed professionally as it is causing discomfort. In these cases a new nail will begin to grow and re-cover the exposed nail bed. This for a big toe will take between 9 -12 months and slightly quicker for a smaller toe. As you can see this really can be a common occurrence. Never panic, always seek a chiropodists advise, there is always a solution.