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Review
. 2020 Mar;6(2):77-87.
doi: 10.1159/000504347. Epub 2019 Dec 18.

Onychalgia Causes and Mechanisms: The "GIFTED KID" and the "FOMITE"

Athina Fonia  1 , Bertrand Richert  1
Affiliations
Review

Onychalgia Causes and Mechanisms: The "GIFTED KID" and the "FOMITE"

Athina Fonia et al. Skin Appendage Disord. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

This article gives an account of the commonest causes of nail pain. The acronyms GIFTED KID and FOMITE will help aid doctors in a busy clinical setting to remember the main causes of onychalgia, respectively, on the fingers and toes. It includes a brief overview of the clinical characteristics and focuses on the type of pain for each condition as well as the mechanisms that cause it.

Keywords: Bone pain; Mechanoreceptors; Onychalgia; Pacinian/Ruffini corpuscles; Pain mechanism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The anatomy of the nail unit. a Fat: loculated by fibrous septae, Pacinian corpuscles: rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors, respond to sudden changes in vibration/pressure. Ruffini corpuscles: slowly adapting mechanoreceptors, respond to stretch, proprioception, mechanical deformation within joints, located superficially. b Schematic demonstration of pain in glomus tumor. c The mechanism of bone pain in enchondroma, inclusion cyst, and keratoacanthoma.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pain induced by the activation of the Pacinian corpuscles as seen in (a) acute paronychia, (b) foreign body, and (c) trauma/hematoma. Pain induced by the activation of the Ruffini corpuscles as seen in (d) non-dermatophytes, (e) gouty tophi, and (f) retronychia. NET, neutrophil extracellular trap.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Schematic presentation of pain induction in (a) enchondroma, (b) keratoacanthoma, (c) onychoclavus, and (d) exostosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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