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Medical Treatment

• Several techniques are used to drain the blood beneath the nail. This procedure is also called releasing the hematoma.

• No single technique is preferred.

• How your hematoma is drained depends on the experience of the doctor and where it is done.

• Frequently, the finger or toe is numbed with a digital block. (Your fingers and toes are called digits.)

• A numbing medication such as lidocaine is injected at the bottom of your finger or toe.

• Injecting the medication here numbs the entire digit.

• As soon as your finger or toe is numb, the procedure can take place.

• The following are commonly used methods for draining your hematoma:

• Cautery: A battery-operated device is used to burn a hole in the nail until the blood is reached and drains out the hole.

• Needle: A large diameter needle is used to drill or bore into the nail to create a hole to allow the blood to drain out.
  
  
• Paper clip: This technique, although an older one, is still used by some practitioners. A paper clip is opened so that the pointed end is free. Then the pointed end is heated up, usually by passing it through a flame, and used to burn through the nail. This technique uses a combination of the cautery method and the needle method.