u/HatOk4084

Hey everyone,

My sport is barefoot (only practice with spongey shin/foot guards) and heavily involves the legs/feet, including moving around on the mat, kicking (with the instep and soles of the feet), and possibly having the feet stepped on on accident blocked/hit). I generally keep all nails short and trim and moisturize them in the mornings and after washing, yet almost all my ten toenails are mildly to moderately broken. I don't usually mind, but it's becoming more painful.

The smallest two on both feet have at least one horizontal splitting in the middle, which gets caught up in socks, flats, the blanket during sleep, etc. My longest, second toes and the adjacent on either side keep breaking at the ends (similar to after getting stubbed on furniture even though this movement doesn't happen during practice), and the skin underneath subsequently hurts, I have to moisturize and soothe it by rubbing/massaging my nail forward as if to cover the previously covered part.

I used to wrap my big toes with gauze/tape when they hurt or as a preventative measure, but they always come off in the middle of practice. I can only apply nail polish or hardeners about 4-5 days a month. All advice on healing, prevention, and maintenance care welcome.