Toe Nail Cutting – What to Do If You Can’t

Let’s face it, there are certain phases of life that make some things we need to do easier than others. While I could not ever do a cartwheel, I am sure that I will never do one now. I actually don’t want to do one so it doesn’t matter to me that much.

But there are things that we may become unable to do that need to be done. Cutting our toe nails is one such thing. There are heath conditions that make it very hard to be able to cut your own toe nails. Certain rheumatolocal issues can make it hard for you to bend to be able to cut your toe nails. Also, there are ophthalmic issues that can interfere with your ability to cut your toe nails. People who have diabetes need to be very careful when cutting their nails.

While you may be tempted to have your spouse or other significant other cut your nails, it is important that you leave the nail cutting to licensed professionals. While everyone has cut their own nails for most of their lives, it is different when you cut someone else’s nails. There are multiple heath issues that can be caused by not having your toe nails cut correctly. This is especially true if you are diabetic. Any mistakes that cause a cut – no matter how small – can grow to be a major problem for someone with diabetes. If you have peripheral neuropathy, you may not realize that there is a cut on your foot or that you have pain associated with that cut.

So what are your options if you can’t cut your own nails and your spouse or significant other shouldn’t do it?  My favorite option is to go to my friendly local podiatrist and have your nails cut by the doctor. The doctor is trained to cut your nails. While you are there, the doctor can check your overall foot health, which is a good thing. If you are under 65, I would check with your insurance company to see if they will cover this service. If you are over 65, toe nail cutting is a covered service under Medicare.

You can also go to a licensed nail technician. This is a bit riskier in that you need to be sure of the cleanliness of the facility. Please check out our previous post on “5 Things to check Before a Pedicure” to help you decide on a nail salon.

Have a great rest of the week and a terrific weekend!