How needed are toenails?
So, how necessary are toenails?
There's the theory that nails exist to protect the tip of the toe/finger. However, this seems to be a circular argument: the tips are sensitive because we have nails - the nails make the area underneath them senisitive because they protect the area. After I lost a nail (pick the various times I lost one or more), after the nail fell off, the area under it wasn't sensitive.There's another argument that they are just evolutionary leftovers: the equivalent of claws and hooves. Fingernails are a different issue: they are useful for picking up items, scratching, etc.: they are small, built-in tools.
Toenails? Well, they are just leftovers.
I'm considering having my big toenails removed. I'm pretty much stuck in the cycle of jam my toenails playing ultimate, lose said toenails, grow toenails back, jam them playing ultimate. The jamming part is incredibly painful. I've taken to keeping a safety pin in my ultimate bag so that I can break the blood blister under the nail that inevitably forms.
There are surgeries that will remove them permanently. I'm seriously considering them. I'm tired of jamming my toenails. I'm tired of having to stop playing ultimate in order to inflict horrible pain on myself. Too much bother. Bah.