Thick Toenails
and High Instep Probelms

Q. I am a woman and have not had much trouble with my feet except one in-grown toe nail, which my doctor took care of. My problem is my toe nails are very thick, they grow out from the toe and over.

I had a very hard time cutting them, I soaked them lotioned them and used Vicks therapy. This has just been happening for the last two years.

My son volunteered to cut them for me. He used a wire cutter on the 2 big toes and then my daughter in-law buffed them down. The toes are much better but what will happen as they grow out? This really concerns me, at least now I am wearing shoes that I have not been able to wear for the last two years.

I do wear pantyhose daily, not at night and have worn them for 43 years because I have bad veins. Could this matter? Thank you for your help..

A. Thickened toenails are a very common problem, commonly caused by a fungal infection in the nail bed.

However, there are other causes of thickened toenails and this problem should be evaluated by a qualified Podiatrist. Your Podiatrist can inform you of the various treatment options available and examine you for alternate causes

Q. I wear orthotics for a ball of foot problem and they seem to solve that problem. But now I have a secondary problem. Every time I walk a track or city streets the top of my left foot as it slants to the left gets very sore. And sometimes the bone on the left perimeter of the foot below the slant gets sore.

I had an MRI and xray and there is nothing apparently wrong. I have gotten wider shoes and laced my shoes loosely and the soreness comes back after about a half hour of walking. I have tried resting the foot for weeks on end and still as soon as I do prolonged walking the problems occurs.

I am fine around the house. I have an extremely high instep and arch. Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. Thank you.

A. You may have arthritis of the midtarsal joint which commonly occurs with a high instep.

However, since nothing was apparently wrong on x-ray or MRI further consultation with a qualified Podiatrist is recommended.