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 Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago.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

July 22, 2007

Dear Dr. Zapf

I was reading your website.  It is very informative.  I have a question.  I am a 54 yr. old woman with severely pronated, flexible feet.  In the last year or two I have been experiencing more and more pain in my ankle and also in my Achilles tendon.  I have worn custom casted orthotics since I was 30 and have been in nothing but orthopedic shoes for the last 15 years. 

Now I have been fitted with AFO's but haven't worn them much as I haven't been able to find shoes to accommodate them.  My feet are 10AA without the braces, so I am trying to find men's shoes in order to wear them.

Recently I met with a couple of podiatrists who recommend fusing the bones in the back of my foot and doing something to release the AT.  I have had many surgeries:  bunionectomies, neuromas, hammer toes.  Some of these were successful, a few not as successful.  I fear I will end up in a wheelchair as my feet seem to get worse as the years go by.  I have almost no fat pad and my feet are very tender.  I also have a 5th ray amputation on the right foot.

I am skeptical about this surgery as it is so radical, but I don't want to pass up something that might really help me.  You mention this surgery on the website.

Any information or advice would be very much appreciated.

Pam, Oklahoma City

 P. S. My feet have been flat and pronated since birth but never really gave me any pain until age 30.

 Dear Pam,

Obviously these are tough questions. Sometimes the feet are so flat that you will develop excruciating arthritis of the bones of the feet and even develop calluses and ulcers on the bottom of the foot where the arch has collapsed. Your choices, as you know, are wearing in-shoe orthotics which help just a little, an ankle-foot-orthoses which helps more but must be worn in a tennis shoe or equivalent or surgery. The surgery is extensive and cumbersome but, ultimately, successful in most cases.

You will likely be in a non-weight bearing cast for two months and in a removable walking cast for one month more and this will be followed up by a month or two of physical therapy. You will be giving up almost half a year to the surgery – and this is just for one foot. The upside is that your foot will more resemble a regular foot and you can walk without the requirement for a brace, although it still might be helpful.

Because you are only 54 you are the best candidate for this surgery, assuming you are otherwise healthy. You have many years of walking ahead of you. I know you are concerned that things may go wrong with the surgery. But you know that the way your feet are not will never improve on their own thus you will probably not be worse off. I never advocate a surgery that is not truly needed, but yours seems quite needed.

Finally, there are many subtlety different ways to do this surgery so don’t be too concerned if two doctors give you somewhat different approaches to the surgery. Make sure you are comfortable with the surgeon. Also, make sure the surgeons you choose for this procedure are Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery. If they are podiatrists, and many if not most doctors who are qualified to do this surgery are probably podiatrists, ask them if they are “boarded in rearfoot” to assure the highest quality.     

 Dr. Michael Zapf

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