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.

 


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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.

   

 

 

 

 

 

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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