United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

for the paast few months, my fingernails on my injured hand have started to look like they are crinkled. i know nails look like that when there is a vitamin or mineral deficiency. but the question i have is could this be a result of my fingers shrinking so much? has anyone else had this issue?

Hi Jmar,

I've noticed the same thing, but I think it was due to dryness. When I put hand lotion on my affected hand regularly, and made sure to get it around the nailbed, it seemed to go away. Maybe give that a try?

MW

I remember when I was going through a lot of surgeies, my nails had a thick, opaque, wrinkly, white look only on the bpi hand, and once I stopped needing so much surgery, that grew out over a year into a heathy nail. I never remembered to ask about it, but I'm just guessing that for myself, it was some combination of healing from the injury, medication and vitamin deficiency. You'll maybe have to ask your doc about it as perhaps it's just something that will fix itself as your hand heals.

I have no use of my TBPI arm, and the fingernails became thick and scaly very quickly. I think it has to do with the poor circulation.

I have to soak my nails well before trimming (until they soften), otherwise they snap off too short (since they are so brittle) and bleed from the break.

Of course my nerve pain increases when my finger is bleeding, so Im very careful these days