Welcome to the Website of

Dr. Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS

 Thank you for visiting my website. I have been placing information and articles on this site for many years and have received millions of  hits during that time (and not that many of them were mine). I have designed it for people who like to read about their foot and ankle problems. Since I started the web site, I have added two associates to my practice, Dr. Darren Payne and Dr. Stephen Benson.  Since my site is filled with just my thoughts and opinions they are not, necessarily, shared by my colleagues. To see our less controversial (and less windy) practice web site, I offer you: www.ConejoFeet.com, the practice site for The Agoura Los Robles Podiatry Centers (ALRPC). The ALRPC practice site has a lot of material about our office, many of our policies and the registration forms to be filled out before your visit. I suggest all prospective patients visit www.ConejoFeet.com.

 I made the web site to give my patients the extra depth information that I don’t always have time to cover in the office visit. Visitors who are not my patients are welcome to browse the information found here. My younger colleagues are both under 50 and they, like many their age, do not favor in depth reading. They prefer their information presented to them in a few short, crisp bullet points. I, being of the, ahem, older generation, like to read about my ailments in greater depth. Here, I present the greater depth. If you ask a question about heel pain or bunions that I have not answered in my two monographs, I will quickly add it so that it is as complete as I can make it. If you agree with this philosophy, welcome to my page. If you correspond with me please let me know if you like the in depth reporting.

 Remember, this site is in no way intended to tell you how your own ailment or problem should be treated, only the approach I use when confronted with certain situations. Your problem may well be different from what you think it is and should always be evaluated by the appropriate professional, whether podiatrist, orthopedist or other authority. Please understand that I, nor anyone else, can offer you a proper diagnosis or treatment plan without seeing and feeling the problem at hand (foot?).  Happy reading.

 Sincerely, Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM

 P.S. All the information in this web site is © by me and it is mine alone. No picture or any of the articles cannot be used by anyone without permission from me, personally.

01/08/2012

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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: January 08, 2012