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 Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago.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 January 1997 

Ducking an Ingrown Nail       

 By: Michael Zapf, D.P.M., M.P.H., F.A.C.F.O.

       In my eleven years in Acorn Country I have seen almost every conceivable treatment for ingrown nails; except one. I knew it was bound to happen but I was still surprised when I saw it.  I have seen patients push cotton into the border of the nail. I have seen patients attack it with kitchen and bathroom implements. One of the latest waves is the application of tea tree oil to the nail border. Tea tree oil comes from a tree of the same name found down under and a few believe it to have almost miraculous curative powers. But until last week I have not anybody use the tool of choice for millions of weekend handypersons: duct tape.

            My young patient was David. He has suffered with an ingrown nail on his big toe for months. He showed me in careful detail how he took a one by eight inch strip of duct tape and wrapped it around his toe. He would start by placing the end of the tape next to the nail on the ingrown side and pull it taught as he wrapped it under the toe and across the bottom of the foot. It would have been a great treatment --  except that it did not work. He still had a very painful and swollen ingrown nail.

            David’s nail was simply too wide for the nail bed. While this may not be a problem for those who do not wear shoes, it clearly is for those who do. Shoes put pressure on the side of the toe next to the nail. The nail, in turn, penetrates the skin and creates an inflammation that is usually (and often incorrectly) called an infected ingrown nail. Because the underlying problem in the penetration of the nail and not an infection, the use of topical or oral antibiotics is often fruitless. The cure involves the gentle removal of a thin edge of the nail, usually under local anesthesia. This can be done permanently by the application of a chemical to the nail root that prevents the edge from growing back. Both the temporary solution and the permanent cure are done in the office under local anesthesia. Because of his long history of ingrown nails, David chose the permanent correction. David found the local anesthesia to be almost painless. The rest of the procedure was done in the office in just a few minutes. While he left the office with his toe wrapped in gauze, David only needed a Band-aid the next day.

            David returned to the office last week for a follow-up examination. He was doing great and his toe had healed without problems. He was also happy that he did not have to use any more duct tape on his toe. He said he had a big home repair job coming up on Saturday and he had just the right amount of duct tape to complete the task.

Dr. Michael Zapf is a board certified podiatrist with offices in Agoura and Thousand Oaks. For more information you can call 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: July 24, 2010