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 Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago.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

Question to Kay, a recent Shockwave Patient: Did it work?

Podiatrists grade pain on a 10 point scale with 10 being the worse. Rarely do we see a 10. Kay was a 10. She lives and works in the relatively far away town of Palmdale, California. Because of her extreme heel pain she was not able to work or even walk without crutches. She gave up on a social life and her pain was so great that she rarely ventured out of the house. She tried shoe modifications, heel pads, orthotics from her podiatrist oral anti-inflammatory medications and even a series of cortisone injections. Nothing was helping and she was scheduled for the traditional open surgery. Her podiatrist was an acquaintance of mine and suggested that she give Shockwave a try. We met in my Agoura Hills office and discussed her options. Frankly I was skeptical that Shockwave could help such severe levels of pain. She has an HMO and had to pay for this one out of her own pocket. Fortunately the company I use charges only $500 maximum put of pocket for the treatment even if insurance pays nothing toward the procedure. Well, I asked her, was her experience worth $500? Did the treatment work? 

Answer: It did for me! I was experiencing pain in my heel with every step. I was limping, trying to prevent any flexing in my foot that would cause any pain. After the shockwave therapy was performed, I was in a soft cast for about 6 weeks. During that time I was careful not to traumatize it with excessive walking, standing or exercise. Today I can walk without pain, making sure I wear a shoe with a heel. (I feel some discomfort the day after if I wear a flat sandal or shoe.) I experience some minor stiffness in the heel area after getting up each morning from bed, but it works itself out in a short period of time. I am very pleased with the result as is my husband as he doesn't have to wait as I limp along behind him any more. I'd recommend it to anyone with similar pain

                                                                    ... Kay

As a subscript, I have done the Shockwave procedure on 16 patients, all of whom have had heel pain for at least a year (some as long as 10 years) and at least a level of 6 (some (some, like Kay, at a 10!). My results for the procedure are as follows.

100% complete pain relief                                    2

Reduction of 7 or 8 points on the pain scale       2

Reduction of 4-8 points                                          8

Reduction of 2-3 points                                          3

Reduction of 0-1 points                                          1

I need to point out that the patient with 0-1 points reduction in pain also has a stress fracture of the heel that is causing pain. As she recovers from the stress fracture she is feeling better. We may never know how much pain reduction is due to the Shockwave and how much to healing her stress fracture.

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