Toenails, revisited

I want to thank everyone for participating in my Toenails Poll and leaving comments over the last several weeks. I can no longer say that I only know of a few instances of toenails falling off. Of the 24 votes on the poll, nine people said that they have lost toenails, 3 said they have had toes turn black but remain intact, and 12 people said that it had never happened to them before. This doesn't count the few comments that were made without voting on the poll. So, I guess it happens about as often as it doesn't. I did a little internet search in hopes of finding more scientific results as to the frequency of occurrence in the general population, but couldn't find anything. However, all the sites I looked at suggested that the cause is improper-fitting shoes. They recommend shoes that are a half-size too big as a means of prevention. The Running Doc at Runner's World also recommends keeping your nails clipped, and wearing synthetic, moisture-wicking socks. Maybe I can attribute my healthy, normal-looking toenails to already following these recommendations, but I'm sure there are many of you who also do and still get blackened toenails. At least it's not an injury that will sideline you longer than a day or two.