Help! I Hurt my nail?

[Anonymous]

I was playing basketball then, the ball hit my nail really hard. Not the whole nail is blue-ish but the upper part of my nail is, near the skin. (Not on the skin) What I think is happening is that it is bleeding under the skin.

I'm sorry if it looks gross. It hurt at first, but after I put I ice on it, the pain was lowered. Any tips and tricks? Oh and in how long will it heel, I have basketball practice on Sunday. Thank you in advance everybody

[anniD20001]

That definitely looks like it's bruised (as you said, bleeding under the nail) you did well to put ice on it. Try to keep the nail above heart level to reduce throbbing and pain. You can also take painkillers such as ibuprofen. As to how long it will take to heal, it will heal within a few weeks, however the bleeding will stain the nail so it will have to grow out. I hope that helps!