MRSA from an Ingrown Toenail

A local football player is battling MRSA for the 2nd time.  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have confirmed that their guard, Carl Nicks is again being treated for MRSA.  Media sources indicate that the initial cause was an ingrown toenail.

MRSA is an infection of Staph aureus that is found to be resistant to the antibiotic Methicillin.  The media makes the population fearful of MRSA but we do have antibiotics that can fight it.

Additionally, ingrown toenails can become bacterially infected and MRSA can be the cause.  It is important to point out, however, that most ingrown toenails can be treated in the office through excision and oral antibiotics.

As is true with most foot problems, any pain or problems are easier to address earlier rather than later.  I do not know what happened with Carl Nicks but I suspect his ingrown toenail became so infected that the bone in the toe got infected necessitating IV antibiotics.

The moral of the story: If you think you have an ingrown nail, see a podiatrist as soon as you are able for treatment.

Why I became a Podiatrist

Growing up in Ohio, becoming a surgeon was always a goal.  A painful ingrown toenail while in college in Akron, Ohio lead me to meet my mentor Dr. Mark Koltnow.  Dr. Koltnow was a caring podiatrist who was loved by his patients and who I really respected.  Not only did he remove my ingrown toenail, he took the time to "show me the ropes" of podiatry.  Over 10 years later, here I am practing podiatry and doing my best to match the same caring manner of Dr. Koltnow.  When I tell patients I know what it is like to have an ingrown toenail, I really do know this along with the fear of the procedure to get it removed.  However, most patients realize that the procedure is usually successful to quickly reduce the pain and resolve the problem.  The majority usually wish they would have had the procedure much sooner.