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 Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago.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


07/24/2010HomeNews+FAQShock Wave

 

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

 

 

 

 

Family Life -SEPTEMBER 1996

Heel That Hurt

By: Michael Zapf, D.P.M., M.P.H., F.A.C.F.O.

"I can’t stand getting out of bed in the morning," said Nancy, the petite patient sitting in the treatment chair. Sharing her distaste for early mornings I was thinking "Well, yes, but what’s your point?" Instead I said something more doctorly like "Tell me more."

Nancy told me that she is a nurse at a local hospital and needs to be on the floor at 6:30 a.m. For the last few months she has experienced a sharp pain in the inside of her heels when she put her feet on the floor. The first few steps are extremely painful. After a bit of walking the pain seems to ease up a little. Around noon she is doing pretty well, as long as she does not stop to rest. Weight bearing after resting is almost always painful. Late in the afternoon, just about the time she gets off from work, the heels hurt no matter what she does. She said that the pain is wearing her down.

After an examination I determined that Nancy had inflamed a ligament-like band of tissue that stretches from the toes to her heels. The ligament goes by the name of the plantar fascia and its inflammation is called plantar fasciitis. This is a common athletic injury and seems to affect a lot of nurses as well. Over stretching the ligament is the direct cause of the inflammation. It can be overstretched by extra weight, overuse and even the hormones released in the latter stages of pregnancy.

I explained to Nancy that we could direct treatment either toward the pain, itself, or toward the cause, the over-stretching of the plantar fascia. Pain control can take the form of oral or injected medication, physical therapy and even surgery. A better long term aid might be to control the over-stretching. This is easily done in the office with a special orthopedic taping that prevents the foot from stretching. Most people with heal pain get this taping on their first visit to a foot doctor and cannot believe how comfortable their feet feel. Nancy was no exception.

To achieve a more long term correction I plan on making a little device called an orthotic that she can slip into her shoe that will hold her foot like the tape. The orthotic is a bit more hygienic and a lot easier to use. With that I expect to give her long lasting relief.

On her return visit after the first taping I told her how delighted I was with her lack of morning foot pain. I apologized, however, for not being able to help the pain of the early morning alarm clock.

   

 

 

 

 

 

Home UpHit Counter

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