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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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: January 08, 2012