Broken nail help!

I woke up this morning and accidentally stubbed my toe against the corner of the bed frame. Naturally, I ended up with a split nail on my middle toe. I tried to lift it slightly to inspect the damage, only to realize the entire nail is lifting away from the nail bed at the base. I considered heading to my doctor, but since it’s Sunday, I feel foolish going to the ER just for this. I suppose I’m at a loss. I applied some St. John's Wort oil to a piece of gauze and wrapped it up as best I could. Now I am unsure if I should leave it alone and just change the dressing daily, or if I need to see a physician to have it professionally removed. My brother had a similar issue with his big toe once; he just kept it medicated and bandaged, and it seemed to heal relatively quickly within a few days. I can't recall if his nail actually fell off, though I suspect it didn't. It was painful initially, but the pain has subsided, and I can walk normally provided I am careful.

Man, I really think this needs to be dealt with immediately 😬 you should probably head over to a local urgent care or maybe even an ER somewhere

I’ve actually dealt with my nail lifting off more than once myself—sometimes it’s from taking a direct hit to the toe, sometimes it’s catching it on something, and other times it’s just the miserable combination of freezing weather and shoes that are clearly a size too small. 😁

In any case, it isn’t exactly a medical emergency. You mentioned that the nail is already starting to detach on its own... If you can’t gently lift the whole thing off without significant pain, my advice is to just leave it be and let nature take its course; there is absolutely no sense in trying to force or rip it away. It should eventually separate naturally without any drama. However, if you notice it’s stuck fast and refusing to budge, that’s when you should probably head over to see a doctor at a clinic like CVS or your local urgent care.
I wouldn't go as far as saying the old nail will grow back, though; once it has detached from the root, it’s essentially dead weight at this point.
Of course, that raw skin underneath is going to feel incredibly tender without the protection of the nail, so wrapping it up with a bandage—which I see you've already done—is definitely the way to go.
But honestly, you get used to the sensation pretty quickly, and a new nail usually starts making its appearance before you know it. 🙂

By the way, you seem to be being quite cautious about this... if only I could say the same for myself. My approach has been much less "delicate," to put it mildly. 😁 No fancy ointments or elaborate treatments for me; I usually just slap a Band-Aid on it and call it a day, and somehow, everything always turns out fine. Nails are resilient little things; they love to grow back. 🙂