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 Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago.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

Acorn Article

August 2000

When Is A Bunion Not A Bunion

By: Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS

I finally had a real Deli Pastrami. As I write this I can still taste the pastrami from Katz Deli in New York’s Lower East Side. My family and I stopped there for lunch just before winging our way back to the Conejo from the Big Apple. (Look for our vacation photo in an upcoming Acorn). For fifteen years I have been listening to the lament of my New York patients that you "just can’t get good deli out here" so I went and tried it for myself. Katz is one of New York’s finest and oldest delis. They have been hand-slicing their pastrami and corned beef since 1888. The sandwich was wonderful, piled high with the thickest and leanest pastrami I have ever had and served by a waiter who worked there for 35 years. I even got "yelled at" for loosing my punch ticket they use to keep track of the food. Going to Katz was a wonderful experience, but I have a secret for all you who are not from New York: some our local Delis are good too. Don’t tell the New Yorkers, though. Now to the bunions.

A bunion is the enlarged bone just behind the big toe. With a bunion the big toe usually leans over and crowds the lesser toes. For many people bunions hurt so much that bigger shoes and decreasing activities are not an option and surgery is the only choice. Because of the active and young population of our community I do a lot of bunion surgeries.

With that said, I didn’t do three bunions this week. Now that may not seem like such an odd statement but these were three patients who actually had a bunion but or one reason or another we decided not to do anything about it. Let me tell you about them.

Marvin was easy. He is an 88-year-old retired teacher with huge bunions. He has lived with them for at least 50 years and is in no hurry to have them operated on. But the right one is now hurting. Fortunately for Marvin his pain was made worse by an attack of gout. I say fortunately because with a short course of an anti-inflammatory medication he can quiet down his gout and live, again, long and happy with his bunions. Marvin, by the way, is from New York and loves Katz.

Ariel is 13 and has a bunion that hurts when she plays basketball. It is not surprising to see a teenager with bunions. Sometimes they start as early as 5 or 6 when there are strong forces that lead to their formation. She is a candidate for bunion surgery and will get one eventually but not right now. I suggested that she wait until her foot matures and the growth plates in her feet close. Then we can get a better assessment of the amount of correction she needs for a perfect correction. In the meantime I will make her a pair of custom orthotics that can counter at lest some of the forces causing her bunions.

Finally there was Kathy, a 32-year-old real estate professional. She has bunions and wanted advice on getting them fixed. Both of her sisters were happy with their recent bunion surgeries. I told her my three criteria for not fixing a bunion: First, if they do not hurt wearing the shoes you need to wear when doing the things you need to do. A realtor needs to wear much different shoes than a fitness trainer. Kathy’s bunion did not hurt even in the highest of heels. The next two criteria need an x-ray. Second, if the x-rays indicate that the size of the bunion gets close to the point of no return I suggest a bunion surgery. When a bunion goes from medium to large it suddenly gets hard to fix and has a reduced likelihood of long-term success. Kathy’s was safely in the small to medium size. Third, I suggest a surgery if there is visible damage to the bunion joint or neighboring joints due to the position of the bunion. Kathy’s x-rays did not show any of the tell tale signs of the damage a bunion can cause. Her cartilage was undamaged and there were no changes to the neighboring toe joints. I cautioned Kathy to return in a year or so for follow-up examination but just because she noted a bunion was no reason to have a bunion surgery.

So this is a strange thing to say, but if you don’t want your bunions fixed, go see your local podiatrist. You might be surprised at what we don’t do. And if you want a good pastrami, stay local. But remember, don’t tell the New Yorkers I said that.

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