Man left with inch-long nail sticking out of his eyebrow

A man was left with a rusty nail sticking out of his forehead in a freak gardening accident.

The unidentified 58-year-old was mowing the lawn when the inch-long piece of metal flicked up at his face. 

It missed his left eyeball by millimetres but still penetrated muscles in his eyelid, leaving him unable to open his eye. 

He was rushed to hospital in Verona, northern Italy, with the wound, which the medics described as a lockdown injury. 

After several scans, doctors removed the nail by gently twisting it until it fell out. The man’s eyesight was back to normal within 30 days. 

The un-named man got the nail wedged above his eye while he was mowing the lawn in Verona, northern Italy, during the first lockdown. He was rushed to hospital for treatment

Doctors gently twisted the rusty nail left and right to free it. The wound had also caused the man’s eyelid to slam shut

Once removed from the man’s head, it emerged the nail was about an inch long

A 3D scan of the man’s skull showing where the nail was positioned in his head before it was removed. But hospital figures show there were fewer domestic accidents during lockdown

In the case report the doctors linked his injury to spending more time at home.

‘The Covid pandemic has been influencing our life in a way never seen before, with people needing to remain at home due to lockdown restrictions,’ they wrote.

‘In this scenario we are seeing an increase in the percentage of (facial injuries).’

The case was published by Dr Riccardo Nocini in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. 

Verona hospital figures showed there were fewer domestic accidents than normal during lockdown, despite everyone being ordered to stay at home.

Italy – like the UK – endured tough lockdown curbs from late February, with residents banned from travelling or leaving their home except for to collect groceries. 

A top surgeon at Imperial College hospitals in London, Shehan Hettiaratchy, said they had also seen a dip in admissions for accidents during Britain’s shutdowns.

‘During the first lockdown period there was a significant reduction in domestic accident injuries,’ he told MailOnline.

‘But as we started to unlock we saw an increase compared to the baseline (average number of accidents expected). 

‘I suspect we had fewer accidents during lockdown because of paranoia (fear over visiting hospitals), but with the unlocking it was like taking the lid off a pressure cooker.’

He added the hospital had prepared for a ‘New Year’s Eve’ level of admission for when pubs and restaurants reopen.  

Some British organisations have, however, reported a rise in injuries linked to pulling muscles over lockdown. 

The British Chiropractic Association said it had seen a 660 per cent spike in searches on its website up to June last year, which it linked to a spike in injuries due to ‘Joe Wicks-ed’ activities.

‘We’re seeing a sharp increase in people who’ve ‘Joe Wicks-ed’ themselves,’ Ulrick Sandstorm, a BCA chiropractor specialising in sports injuries, told The Telegraph. 

Above is a scan showing the nail (white) and the skull (the light grey area). Britain’s hospitals also saw a dip in accidents at home over lockdown, experts said

Above is a scan of the man’s skull after the nail was successfully removed. His vision returned to normal within 30 days

‘These people have injured themselves because of they’re diving straight into an exercise routine they’re not used to – often at the wrong intensity or load. 

‘Many of them are picking up small muscle injuries then trying to “run them off” or “push through the pain barrier”. 

‘But there’s no science to say that works. Instead, they’re risking more damage and a longer lay-off by not listening to their bodies.’