Welcome to the personal website of

Dr. Michael A. Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM

Thank you for visiting the web site of Dr. Michael Zapf. He is a member of the Agoura-Los Robles Podiatry Centers

The "real" practice web site, the one that contains registration forms, doctor information for all the office and directions to the office is located at:

www.conejofeet.com   ç Click here

I am Dr. Michael Zapf. I have been offering a full range of podiatric medical services, from ingrown nails to heel pain and foot surgery, to my friends and neighbors in the Las Virgenes, Conejo and Simi Valleys since 1985. This is my personal web site. It has been up since 1990 and has received more than 2 million visits. The entire site is my responsibility only and nearly everything on the site was written by me. You are welcome to peruse this site and learn what you can about me, your feet and the problems your feet can develop. Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago. On this site you will read historic articles that I wrote for a lay audience as long as 25 years ago, so please do not take anything on this site as definitive or as applying directly to your condition. You may wonder why I have my own site even though there is also an official practice site. Well, my partners are of a younger generation raised on tweets, e-mails and iPhones. They want a professional site that they believe better represents the professional nature of our practice. They also believe that people no longer take the time to read anything of length. I, on the other foot, think there is still a world out there full of people who still read lengthy descriptions of problems and solutions. if you are one of those old fashioned readers, then this site if for you. Let me know what you think. Let me know you are out there.

Please note that all information and photographs on this site are copyrighted by me, Michael Zapf, DPM, and cannot be used for any private or commercial purposes. I work with two other podiatrists in my practice who may or may not share any of my ideas and philosophy. Do not expect them to practice the way I do or even believe in any of the speculation I present here. If you appreciate what I have written and want me to be your treating doctor, you will have to ask for me specifically. Even if my office says at first, " He is booked until next month",  I still want to see you as long as you are a little flexible with your schedule. If your visit is an emergency, I know that  you will be happy with either of my associates, Dr. Darren Payne or Dr. Steve Benson. They are exceedingly well trained and capable in any foot emergency.

Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM     (If you want to know what all those initials mean, click here   è  

Our office phone number is (818) 707-3668 and my e-mail address is zfootdoc [at] doctor [dot] com

Agoura Hills Office: 28240 Agoura Road, Suite 101, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Thousand Oaks Office: 555 Marin Street, Suite 290, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

For the address, hours and registration forms please see the practice web site: www.conejofeet.com

07/24/2010

To Order Foot Supplies è ç click

For Information about Laser Treatment for Fungal Nails Click hereè
 

For information about Shockwave Therapy for heel pain          click here è

Exciting news!!! New Thousand Oaks Location  è

Advances in Bunion Surgery

 By: Michael Zapf, D.P.M., M.P.H.

 I received a wonderful note the other day from Carol, a patient of mine. She stated “Dr. Zapf, I love my new feet and I thank you every time I wear heels!” Carol had bunion surgery about a year ago on both feet. I would like to tell you a little about Carol’s story.

 When Carol first came to my office she was only 27 years old but had suffered front bunion pain for almost five years. She described the pain as a burning sensation at the joint just behind her big toes. She noticed that the joint was enlarging and that her big toe was leaning against her little toes. Shoe wearing, especially heels and pointed toe styles, was becoming increasingly more painful. She tried stretching her shoes and even changing shoe styles but the pain remained. Carol had heard that bunion surgery was painful and risky and had put off seeking a solution as long as she could.

 At a visit to her gynecologist’s office she talked happened to mention her foot pain to a nurse. As it happened, the nurse, herself, was a patient of mine who had her bunions surgically corrected a few months prior. The story Carol received about bunion surgery from the nurse was so positive and so different from what she was led to believe that she caine to my office immediately.

 What I told Carol was what I am sure most foot surgeons are telling their bunion patients. In the past surgical techniques were crude compared to what we are doing today. Today bunion surgery is routinely performed as an outpatient procedure with surprisingly little pain. If a bone has to be surgically fractured and reset, we use an interlocking technique that eliminated unwanted motion thus assuring both quicker healing and less pain. With special attention to balancing the pull of the tendons affecting the bunion joint, recurrence is unlikely.

 Carol gathered her courage and decided to have her surgery. The rest is, as they say, a footnote of history. A short time later she was wearing shoes that previously left her almost in tears. So to your letter, Carol, I would like to answer a public “You’re welcome!”.

 Dr. Michael Zapf is in private practice in Agoura Hills. He is on the attending staff of the L.A. County University of Southern California Medical Center. For more information or a brochure on bunion surgery please contact his office at (818- 707-3668.

Send mail to (zfootdoc at doctor dot com) with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Michael A. Zapf, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., F.A.C.F.AOA.M.
Last modified: July 24, 2010